Cracked Armor
by littleAliengrl
Summary: Draco mistakes Hermione as his half-brother's killer. He kidnaps her to his island with the intention of torturing her and eventually killing her. But the longer they stay in each others company, the harder it gets to ignore the powerful feelings stirring inside each other.
1. The Good, the Bad and the Tragedy

**A/N: I'm so glad I finally get to work on this story. It's been on my mind for a while and now I'd really like to share it with everyone. I know the whole kidnapper and prisoner thing has been done before with Dramione before but I wanted to give my own take on it. Hope you all enjoy. **

_"I'm close to the fire. I fear that soon you'll reveal your dangerous mind. It's in your eyes. What's on your mind? I fear the smile and the promise inside. It's in your eyes. What's on your mind? I fear your presence, I'm frozen inside. - A Dangerous Mind~ Within Temptation_

**Cracked Armor**

_Chapter 1. The Good, the Bad and the Tragedy_

The hood of Draco's cloak fell back as he tilted his head to glance heavenward. The sky was ashen; it had been like that all day as if it simply couldn't decide on whether or not it should rain. A gentle breeze whipped his flaxen bangs back and forth, slightly ruffling the formal black attire he wore. It carried the sound of his name in the distance, echoing softly over the grassy hillside of the Malfoy mausoleum. There was a deep sigh inside him that wouldn't come out; a sigh that was filled with unbearable regret and anguish. It was the kind of sigh that's anchored deep inside the cavity of your chest and refused to be let out.

"Draco!"

Said man barely had enough time to turn around when something- or rather someone- barreled right into him. Draco nearly stumbled back from the sheer force. He righted himself and immediately noticed the familiar bouncy strawberry blonde hair. Astoria. Just a few feet away stood Blaise and Greg, watching them silently. Draco stood still in her arms, as she whispered, "I'm sorry." Draco was to say the least not the huggiest person ever, but he allowed her to embrace him none-the-less, arms hanging limply at his sides. He could never understand why women apologized for things that were clearly not their fault. After a long moment, Astoria managed to compose herself and pulled back to peer curiously at Draco's face with her cat-like blue-green orbs.

"Are you alright?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

"Of course," Draco scoffed.

Blaise stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just to make things clear, we came for the food, not a sobfest."

Astoria shot him a dirty look before turning back to Draco. "What he means in that oh so wonderfully charming and completely tactful way of his," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. "...is that we're here for you."

Draco chuckled. "The food line is more Greg's style though." Greg straightened sharply, looking quite indignant. Draco jerked his head in the direction of the door. "The main chamber is down the stairs and to the left. I have to go speak with my mother so all of you go ahead."

Draco tapped his wand thrice against a large ivory door covered in an intricate spiraled pattern of runes and latin words, an emerald dragon paw glistening at its center. The stone constantly changed its constellation or patronus gem according to which family member was currently entering the mausoleum. The door swung open of its own accord, blowing cool air into their faces. Draco swished his wand up and instantly all the green-flamed torches lit up along the stairs on both sides. Blaise nodded at Draco, grabbing Astoria's hand as they stepped through the threshold. Greg hung back, shifting his footing hesitantly and stared at Draco. He clasped his shoulder meaningfully after an awkward silent moment.

"Hey, I know I'm just a bumbling oaf to everyone but if you ever need anything, you shouldn't hesitate to owl me."

Draco's mouth quirked up into a twisted smile. "Even if I were to ever ask you to help me move a body?"

"Don't be so cryptic, Malfoy." Greg laughed. "If you need anything- anything at all- I'm your man."

"I'll hold you to it."

Greg smiled at him before entering the mausoleum. Draco waited several moments, watching Greg finally get to the last step. He entered and found himseld in the main chamber that led to five different entrances; a small library, candle room, wand room, burial room and the family vault. A ring of green-flamed torches lit the chamber, creating eerie shadows along the stone walls. Instead of heading straight to meet his mother in the candle room, Draco chose the hallway diagonal to the one Greg and everyone had taken. The only sound to be heard were Draco's shoes padding along the cobble stoned floor, echoing in an almost taunting manner. He clenched his fists at his sides, mouth forever seemingly etched into a scowl.

He hadn't entered this place since he was a child, and the memories of the chills he had experienced before had never truly left him. It was like the calls of the dead sought him out, speaking their haunting words in his ear the way one might whisper a deadly secret. Draco felt rhythmic pulses through his blazer and slipped his hand in to clutch his father's wand. He glanced down regretfully at the eighteen inch, Elm, dragon heartstring wand he now held possessively. It was cold to the touch but pulsed with a steady, flowing power that could only belong to his father. The wand deserved to be within his father's coffin, but tradition stood that every Malfoy wand be placed in the wand room after death. The head of the Malfoy clan had long ago once declared that should the family ever require an extra hand, a Malfoy would inherit generations of power.

Draco soon reached a long winding staircase. He steadied himself along the stone railing, his wand lighting his way through the darkness, making the granite on the steps shimmer vibrantly. He soon reached a door made of the same ivory as the door to the mausoleum. Two hands fashioned into the shape of trees were carved into the door with a spiraled silver snake pattern intertwining into a circle around them.

"The left hand for destruction and the right for creation", Draco murmured.

He pressed his left hand over the carving and the right followed right after it. The carvings glowed a dim ethereal white light before the whole image shifted into one large snake spiral. The door cracked open all the way, allowing Draco to step through the threshold. It was a small room lit by torches on all sides. One marble wall was decorated with moving pictures of the deceased Malfoys while the other was littered with their wands in the order of their deaths. Draco gave one last forlorn look at Lucius' wand before placing it flat against the wall right above the golden plaque where it read his father's name. He glanced at the plaque next to his father's. The thought of him being next to join the empty place beside his father sent a mind-numbing shiver down his spine. Draco proceeded to leave the room to go back to the main room that led to the five different towers. He now entered the hallway opposite of the wand room's.

The staircase this time led him to the candle room. He approached the door to the room only to find it slightly ajar. Draco gently pushed it open to reveal his mother standing in the center of the room of lit floating candles of all colors and sizes, dressed in her finest black silk gown. Her white-blond hair was spilled about her slim shoulders. She looked dazed with unshed tears sparkling within her cyan blue eyes, making her seem much younger- more vulnerable. After a few moments of watching the candles float around her, Narcissa's pale hand reached out to grab a thin medium-sized light blue candle. She turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Draco leaning against the threshold, watching her thoughtfully.

"Draco," Narcissa whispered softly. She closed the distance between them, and reached out to place her gloved hand lightly against his cheek. Draco didn't show any flicker of emotion as he stared down at her. "...It's time."

"I know."

He closed his eyes and gently removed his mother's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze before letting his hand fall back at his side. He silently left the room and heard his mother following close behind. Draco led them to the core of the mausoleum- the burial room- to find a large gathering of their family and friends formed in a circle around a glass casket, murmuring quietly to one another. They immediately hushed up when Draco and Narcissa entered the room, making way to clear a path for them. Draco stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes of stone surveying each familiar face. He and Narcissa now stood side by side as they watched Lucius' body over the open glass casket. Draco bit his lip as his face twisted with anguish at the sight.

Lucius appeared to be in a deep sleep. He would remain frozen eternally in appearance and would never decay- remain even warm to the touch but still gone forever. Draco noticed how even the hard lines of his face had managed to unfold to reveal underneath many layers that he too was only just a man. The entire Malfoy family had gathered together inside of the Malfoy mausoleum where all of the Malfoys before Lucius were lined up along the walls in stone shelves inside glass caskets much like his own. Draco felt a terrible shiver crawl up his spine despite the warmth from the floating white candles scattered about the room. He too would one day be locked up in here. Alone yet at the same time accompanied by the bodies of his ancestors. Draco willed himself to finally turn away from his father's body.

He glanced to his right and saw his mother openly crying for the first time. It was unheard of for any noble woman of pure blood to shed tears like this, but no one would be able to argue with her at this moment. Everyone stood by and offered their condolences and spoke kind words about Lucius. The longer Draco stood there and listened, the more the words felt like empty lies. Had any of them really known his father? Had they really cared enough to come to his funeral or merely cared about appearances? Another heart-wrenching sob escaped Narcissa's lips, and Draco silently slipped his hand into his mother's. He closed his eyes as she squeezed his hand tightly.

He silently hoped this procession would be over soon so that he and his mother could just return to the Manor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the guests that had not joined their circle around Lucius. He hung back by himself against the wall closest to one of the exits as he observed the procession. All of his guests had arrived in dark cloaks but upon entering they had all let their hoods fall back. All but this one. As Narcissa and each one of their guests took turns sending Lucius into the afterlife, Draco kept an eye on him throughout the entire funeral. Soon though, he realized it had gone very quiet inside of the mausoleum. He turned his attention back to the other guests and saw that they were all looking at him expectantly. Narcissa pressed her silk handkerchief lightly against her eyes before she turned to Draco.

"Draco..." She gave a shaky sob. "Would you like to say a few words about your father?"

Draco sighed internally. He hadn't really prepared anything for Lucius. There was so much he wanted to say, but none of it could form into an actual sentence. He had asked the houselves to dress his father in his finest garments. Throughout the whole time of watching the elves bustle back and forth in preparation, Draco couldn't come up with a single thing to say in commemoration of his father. If ever there was a time he felt more guilty and helpless it was now. Draco looked around uneasily releasing his mother's hand and stepped forward.

"Lucius...wasn't a man from a pure-blood family, a wizard or even a Death Eater." Draco refrained from placing a hand one the edge of the casket. He summoned up a lily and placed it beside his father along with the rest. "He was simply my father, someone I deeply respected and who wanted the best for his family. He will be missed by all those who knew him best. Rest now, father, I will take care of mother in your place."

It was Narcissa's turn to step forward now and lit the candle she had chosen for him. It was tradition that each Malfoy be put to rest in the family mausoleum with a candle that would make sure their bodies wouldn't remain in eternal darkness. They were charmed to be eternally lit and to purify the spirit- that still lingered around the body even after its host's death- so that it wouldn't be in danger of turning into a poltergeist and instead peacefully join the afterlife. Each candle also had its own familiar scent related to the deceased person. It seemed only made sense that Narcissa had been the one to choose the candle to send Lucius off with. Who else would have known Lucius better than his own wife?

She gave Lucius one last pained look before gently closing the cover of the casket over him. She tapped her wand three times over the casket, murmuring a protection curse against grave robbers. Lucius was not only being buried with his silver pocket watch but also the Malfoy insignia ring. Anyone who tried to take anything from him would die an instant death. Narcissa put her handkerchief and wand away, remembering who she was and once again looked every part of the cold beauty everyone knew her for. The next person closest to Draco stepped forward to give his own words of condolences mechanically as if he were reading the words straight from a script itself.

Draco noticed the hooded guest from before already making his way up the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder and saw everyones' attention solely on the man's eulogy. He took the opportunity to follow the stranger up the steps. As he reached the top of the stairs, he was assaulted by a cool breath of wind under the bleak ashen sky. Not too far from the mausoleum was the hooded figure, taking long strides across the open field. Draco broke into a run, his feet barely making a sound on the grass beneath him as he approached the stranger. His hand slipped into his sleeve and grasped his wand tightly. He gripped the back of the figure's cloak, and pressed his wand roughly against his back.

"I don't remember handing you an invitation," Draco snarled.

The hooded figure lowered his hood and Draco released him long enough for him to turn around and face him. His normally stoic face couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes at seeing Harry Potter standing before him. He hadn't seen much of him except for occasional run-ins on the street or at charity balls, giving a curt nod or quick greeting to each other before moving on or reading about his latest conquest concerning the Ministry of Magic in _The Daily Prophet_.

"Potter," he said indifferently, lowering his wand after a moment of uncertainty. "What brings you here?"

A smile quirked on one side of Harry's face before it became somber once more. "Very nice. Good to hear you don't spit my name out like a curse anymore. I would've given some notice I was coming but..." Harry glanced over Draco's shoulder at the mausoleum. "I think that my being here would disturb people, especially your mother."

"You still haven't answered my question, Potter. _Why_ are you _here_? I never pegged you the type to crash funerals."

"I had heard about Lucius' passing in the _Prophet_ earlier this morning." Harry frowned deeply. "I'm sorry...I just want you to know that though your father and I never saw eye-to-eye, this isn't something I would've wished on him."

_'_'Never saw eye-to-eye'_ doesn't even come close to describing how your relationship really was. He was just as much your enemy as I was.'_

Draco stared crossly. "I find that hard to believe." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Even St. Potter has dark thoughts enter his mind now and then," he drawled.

"Believe what you want but I've seen too many people die," Harry whispered, turning his body slightly away from Draco.

Draco sneered. "What's another person to add to the list?"

"Listen, Malfoy," Harry said, mouth twisting into a scowl. "I wanted to come here in secret to avoid confrontations. I came to make amends not have a row with you."

"No need to sneak around. Whatever you have to say out with it."

"I suppose..." Harry trailed off as a cold breeze brushed over them and he huddled deeper into his cloak. "I would like to extend a hand of friendship."

Draco gawked at him. "Friendship? Are you mad?"

"I thought it was obvious that we could never be friends at one point. I always thought we were too different- two entirely different people with different tastes and morals...You know Ron and I are almost nothing alike but I appreciate his company none-the-less. If you don't want to be my friend, that's alright, but I think we would both at least make good allies should the wizarding world ever return to dark times."

Draco arched an eyebrow at his once rival/enemy's extended hand. It was like deja vu all over again except the roles were reversed this time ironically enough. His face twisted into a scowl as glanced back at Harry.

"Please," he scoffed, disgust lacing his every word. "I don't need a pity party."

Harry lowered his hand, frowning in confusion. "Sympathy isn't the reason I came here. I know what it's like more than anyone to hate sympathy being thrown at me left and right so believe when I say I'm here because times have changed us both. We've been through a lot. More than the old me from first year ever would have dreamed. Sometimes I wish...I could go back to when were in Hogwarts. At least during those times, there was a sense of normalcy."

"You and me trading insults? Sending hexes at each other?" Draco managed to crack a grin. "I still haven't managed to pay you back for turning me into a slug."

Harry laughed. "You know you had it coming, Malfoy. Will you accept my hand of friendship?" He tried extending his hand once more to Draco who stared at it with great uncertainty.

"...I'll think about it."

Harry drew his hand back to his side and nodded. "Good. Take all the time you'd like." He straightened up and tried to look unattached and business-like but Draco thought it didn't suit the Golden Boy somehow. If there was anyone better who had learned to shut down his emotions it was Draco. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you and your mother."

He Disapparated without another word leaving Draco to his thoughts on top of the hill. He stared at the spot Harry had stood only moments ago. It must have taken the bloke a lot to bring himself to come here. Now that the war was over, Harry was probably living a happy life with his friends and his Weasley girlfriend. Draco supposed Scarhead enjoyed spreading his joy around. Despite there being so much free time with the war over, Draco had found nothing to feel joy over or anything he really desired to do for the past three years. After his mother and him had slowly gained approval of society again, he had been offered his father's position as governor at the schoolboard of Hogwarts. He politely rejected the offer, seeing as he knew it wasn't something he would enjoy doing. Though, he still donated money to the school since it still held a place of bittersweet nostalgia for him.

Narcissa insisted that instead of focusing entirely on work and pleasing society that he should settle down soon. She constantly said she knew several_ impeccable_ young ladies but Draco shot her down each time. Having a girlfriend was the least of his worries. If it came down to it and he still wasn't married by twenty-five, he would let his mother arrange a marriage for him. This had pleased Narcissa greatly but she warned him that all the good ones would be taken within the three years of his promise. Though, Draco had promised he would let her choose a bride for him, he wasn't too fond of thinking about whether his marriage would turn into what Lucius and Narcissa had. Though, it was never outright said, it was painfully obvious that their betrothal was a non-too-pleasant experience on both their parts.

His mother had told him that while she and his father had had a rocky marriage, she said that they had eventually grown fond of each other. It didn't help that just as they were starting to get a bit closer, Narcissa discovered he had been coveting a mistress. She claimed recently that she had only truly loved Draco's father for one moment- the moment that he had begged Voldemort to stop the battle so that he and Narcissa could go search for their son. Narcissa said that it was unlikely that she would ever remarry and rather than remember her mostly horrid marriage with Lucius, she would rather remember him as he was during their short time together after Voldemort was defeated.

"Draco!" Draco swiveled his head in his mother's direction who stood at the entrance of the Malfoy crypt with the Malfoy clan standing behind her. She adjusted her shawl as the wind picked up. "Draco, we're heading back to the manor for the memorial. Won't you join us?"

Draco's instant thought was too kindly reply _'no thanks'_ that he was tired, but one look at his mother's quivering lip and he knew he was a goner. He nodded his acquiescence as he started down the hill after his family, deciding to forget his strange encounter with Harry Potter for the time being. Once he reached his mother, he allowed her to slip her arm into his as they started in the direction of the Manor several yards away from the crypt. They entered the black iron gates and once inside the Manor, Narcissa turned to face her family solemnly.

"Please go on ahead to the dining hall and help yourselves to whatever you like. I must have a word alone with my son."

They didn't argue as they all walked down the dark corridor and disappeared from sight. Blaise, Astoria and Goyle looked hesitant but one nod from Draco to go and they excused themselves. Draco raised an eyebrow in question when Narcissa stepped closer and began digging through her purse. She pulled out a rolled up parchment tied with black ribbon with a green waxed symbol that could only be depicted as the Malfoy crest.

"This arrived earlier today. I would have given it to you sooner but with your father's funeral..." Narcissa sighed. "It just wasn't the best time."

Draco took the letter from her and simply stared at it. "Who's it from?"

"Your half-brother."

Draco's eyes widened a fraction. "A-alaric?" he stammered.

"Well, he is the only brother you have." Narcissa sighed. "It could only be that he heard of your father's passing. Do what you like with it but his owl seemed awfully persistent that it be delivered to the Manor. Wouldn't stop its infernal pecking at my window this morning." Narcissa began slipping off her shawl and immediately Wimzy, one of their houselves, ran forward to collect it from her mistress. "It's been a long day so I won't force you to come to the memorial. I'll go entertain the guests. I'll tell them you felt ill and retired to your room." She placed a hand on Draco's arm. "One more thing. Before your father died, he told me to give this to you."

Narcissa pressed something small and cold into his hand. Draco nodded as his mother disappeared down the hallway. He opened his hand to reveal a Malfoy insignia ring identical to his father's. He stared at it for a moment before slipping it onto the index finger of his right hand. Just as he turned to head for the stairs, he caught sight of Wimzy hanging his mother's shawl on a coat rack.

"Wimzy."

The elf jumped and turned around to face Draco, straightening her back in attention. "Y-yes, master?"

"Prepare some tea and bring it to my room."

"Right Away, master."

Draco watched the elf scuttle off, before he ascended the flight of stairs up to his bedroom. Upon entering his room, he made a fire with his wand and sat in the master's chair with the letter in hand. Alaric. What could he possibly want with him after six years of having heard no word from him. Draco's first thought was to toss the letter into the fire, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was deeply intrigued. After a few moments of indecision, Draco couldn't satiate his curiosity and cracked the seal open. Inside was the familiar spidery handwriting that could only belong to Alaric.

_Dear Draco, _

_I know this may come as a shock to you. Father and you must have thought I was dead all these years. It's doubtful that you're interested in my whereabouts since I was kicked out of home at fifteen so I'll save you the boring details. I have heard about our father's passing. I was shocked. I must speak frankly, I wasn't angry at father for disowning me or refusing to accept my then half-blood girlfriend, which by the way didn't work out...as most first loves don't. Never did believe in school sweethearts or anything of the sort. _

_I remember that the day father sent me packing, he said he would have preferred the Hufflepuff girl I had taken the year before to the Yule Ball. He said that at least she was Pureblood. It's all so funny now that I think about it. Even though things didn't work out between me and my then girlfriend, I became my own man when I left home. I had the best time of my life living a life that was finally my own. Still, I wish I could have made up with father, and I regret the lost time without my only brother. There's so much I'd like to catch up on. In the event of our father's death, the only thing I ask from the Malfoys is my brother back. I would like you to come visit me instead since I doubt Narcissa would be pleased to see me show up in your home. _

__I live in Surrey, London. Yes, a Muggle community, but I think you'd quite like it here, Draco. You never know. _You might find yourself a cute witch or muggle girlfriend here. I always thought you needed a woman. With the war over, I'm sure you can find someone who can make you as happy as I am right now. My girlfriend is simply adorable, Draco. I've only known her a few months but already I feel closer to her than I ever was with anyone. She's a year older than me and attended school with you at Hogwarts. Perhaps you know one another. It's a small world after all as the muggle saying goes. I hope when I'm confident enough to propose to her, I can introduce her to you. I just hope that one day you get to know what it feels like to love someone so fully._

_Sincerely Alaric,_

Draco placed the letter on the table before him. Visiting Alaric was out of the question. There was too much to be taken care of here at the Malfoy Manor and with the wizarding society in general. If Alaric wanted a visit, it must be instigated by him and not Draco. He wouldn't even know how to handle himself if he were to step into a muggle community. It was simply best that he stayed here to take care of his mother and other important duties at the ministry. Still, he didn't fancy the idea of leaving Alaric's letter unanswered. He levitated parchment, an ink pot and quill pen before him. The pen began writing frantically across the parchment of its own accord.

_Dear Alaric,_

_It certainly is a surprise to hear from you. Not entirely unpleasant but surprising nonetheless. It's good to hear that you're getting along well where you're living. Don't fret over me, I can handle my own affairs. I didn't exactly come back a war hero so there's much for me to atone for. It has to be done by me alone or else I can never redeem myself in the wizarding world. I plan on hosting many charity events for orphaned wizards and witches. If you would ever like to attend, by all means, go ahead. As for my love life, I'm content with the way things are. I have far too much going on to be even thinking of having a relationship or traveling into a muggle community. My deepest apologies. I'm not the same man you once knew. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to owl me. _

_Sincerely, Draco_

Draco rolled the parchment up into black ribbon and poured some green wax over it, pressing the Malfoy crest over it with a stamp. He heard soft rapping at his door and called for the visitor to enter. Wimzy gently opened the door and stuck her head in. She carried the tray of tea firmly in both hands, smiling meekly at Draco as she set it down on the table before him. She placed a tea cup on a tiny plate, lifting it one hand as she poured Early Grey tea into it. Wimzy held it out for Draco to take. He took it in both hands and murmured his thanks. Just as Wimzy was about to get up to leave, Draco rose a hand to stop her. He held out the letter intended for Alaric.

"Owl this letter for me. Be sure it gets delivered."

Wimzy nodded as she accepted the letter. "Wimzy will do so, sir."

She padded across his room quietly and shut the door behind her. Draco leaned back in his chair, taking steady sips of his hot tea. He sighed a long sigh- the sigh that had been endlessly aching to be released from his confining chest. He stared up at the ceiling, watching the shadow of the flames from the fireplace dance across it. He couldn't ever have imagined that that would be one of the last few fateful letters he would owl Alaric in a while. He couldn't have known of the tragedy awaiting him so soon after his father's death._..  
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><p><strong>~Three Months Later~<strong>

_'How do the damned rise up once more?'_ That's a question that Draco himself would very much like to know as he stared broodingly out his bedroom window. Everyday there seemed to be a dark cloud hovering over the Malfoy mansion since he had discovered Alaric's death. At first Draco could hardly trifle himself with a visit with his estranged and blood traitor of a half-brother, but he had been most intrigued with the most recent letter he had received from him one not so special day. The letter was rather shorter than his previous letters and Draco couldn't help but notice a hint of desperation within it. That was all Draco needed to take a trip to Surrey. Upon arriving at Alaric's flat, he had discovered his brother lying stone cold on the floor of his living room.

He had been clutching a goblet of wine with an open journal laid out next to him. Photos all around him had been burnt and only ash remained. Draco could scarcely believe the things written in the red leather-bound journal. There were things that shook him to the core; things about Lucius and Alaric's biological mother with words filled with so much hate and anguish. There were even some things about how he regretted his lost time with Draco. That was only the first half that the journal was dedicated to. The other was surprisingly much more cheerful. Draco almost felt embarrassed to read it. It involved affectionate and intimate thoughts of a girl that Alaric seemed to be deeply infatuated with. The last page was what greatly surprised and disturbed Draco.

_I have struggled in vain to gain your affections. Why can't you see how much I love you? I would do anything for you. Since you have asked me to go die...I will now do as you wish._

This greatly baffled Draco. Why would his brother kill himself over a woman? It was simply ludicrous. Since the day of his tragic discovery, Draco became obsessed with his brother's journal. For days on end, he locked himself up in his room, making others around him start to think that he had gone mad, especially his mother. Perhaps a part of him really had. He spent loads of his time reading and rereading the diary, sulking over the brother he had known so well and not known at all it seemed. At times he was overcome with so much guilt for not answering most of his brother's letters when he should have. There might have been a chance...even in the slightest that he could have been saved.

Draco had held a small memorial for Alaric since the only real family he had left was himself. He invited the people he had found in Alaric's address book, conversing with them during the memorial for Alaric's sake. He wasn't able to contact Alaric's birth mother, knowing that she might not even be alive anymore or residing within the country. As it turned out, Alaric's friends mostly consisted of muggles so Draco didn't perform the regular wizard burial traditions. But at the same time he was unwilling to have him buried in a muggle cemetery. He wanted his brother somewhere close- somewhere that held great meaning to the both of them. He took him to that special place and buried him- the muggle way, knowing that Alaric would have wanted it that way.

Today was a not so special day just like any other with Draco sitting by the fire in his cushioned armchair. He was reading the last page of Alaric's diary before snapping it shut with a snarl. He hurled the book savagely at the wall, making the book shelf topple over. Draco turned away, restlessly running a hand through his flaxen tendrils. He thought to leave the room to get his mind off of things, but he caught sight of something sticking out of the diary out of the corner of his eye. He bent down to retrieve it. It was completely white except for the words F_orever and Always_. He flipped the picture over to reveal none other than Hermione Granger smiling back at him.

Draco dropped the picture in his shock. The image settled into his bloodstream; bubbling and boiling so much that he thought he would die with so much hate in his veins. He had never given a thought to what Alaric's so-called lover had been like._ 'What did it matter what she was like or even what she looked like?'_ he had thought. He already knew enough; whoever she was, she was a seductive, manipulating little bitch who had her hooks so deep in Alaric that she could make him end his own life at one simple command. But never...never would he have guessed that the seductive, manipulating little bitch would be Hermione Granger; brightest witch of our age, friend to Harry Potter, and over all goody goody.

The picture- clearly muggle as it was unmoving- stared back at him, taunting him from its place on the polished floorboards. Draco swiped it up and held it at eye-level. Hermione was wearing a lilac sundress, and her hair was worn loose with her curls whipping about her. She was perched on an oak tree with both hands clutching a branch on either side of her to steady herself. The sun light filtered in through the leaves above her, creating spots of light on her skin here and there. She smiled widely as she looked at the camera, undoubtedly taken by Alaric himself seeing as Draco remembered the strange wizard being into muggle hobbies like photography and painting.

Fate really must have had it out for him. The situation was all too ironic. His enemy from his Hogwarts days had caused his half-brother to meet his end. Draco had rarely seen or heard of her save for in _The Daily Prophet_ or occasional run-ins he had with the Golden Trio. Now she turned up unwanted once again in his life. She represented everything he had been raised to hate for over half his life. His opinion of her had been colored before he had ever met her. But now he really did have a reason to hate her. Right now nothing could compare to the sweet release he would have in wrapping his hands around Hermione's throat- to relish the fear in her eyes as the life slowly left them.

Briefly, he wondered what her best friend and lover would think if they knew just how far Hermione had fallen. Draco levitated the picture so that it now floated inches from the wall. Mumbling a spell, he summoned up a dagger with his wand. He threw it at the picture, pinning it effectively to the wall where Hermione's forehead was. Draco walked over to the photo, feeling a slow, warped smile creep over his features. He knew exactly what to do with her.

* * *

><p><em>London, England <em>

It was the same atmosphere here at Warwick Hospital- white walls, sparkling linoleum floor and that sterile scent- that every hospital seemed to have. Hermione walked down a hall, smiling at the passing doctors and nurses who had become accustomed to seeing her visit everyday. Hermione turned the knob of the hospital room and was greeted by the sight of her father fast asleep on the couch. He wore the same clothes as the day before, wrinkled and hair mussed up, mouth parted slightly as his chest heaved. Her mother was reclined back in the hospital bed silently watching t.v. Hermione smiled as she slipped into the room. Delia turned her head slowly and smiled at her daughter. She tried to sit up but Hermione quickly placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pressed her back down. Her father drowsily opened his eyes, rubbing them as he sat up sharply.

"No need to get up, dad."

Hermione opened her beaded purse to reveal a plastic Tupperware container and a thermos. "Look what I've brought. I made you chicken noodle soup like you used to make me when I was sick. I also packed in ginger ale and crackers and lemon pudding." Her mother merely smiled at her. "Oh! And look, the latest issue of that magazine you subscribed to."

"Sweetheart, you're an angel," she whispered.

Hermione's eyes widened and she shook her head, smiling as she did so, her curls bouncing against her cheeks. "Oh, mum, it was nothing. Just get better for us, please." She couldn't ignore the slight desperation in her own tone as she said pleaded with her mother.

She turned around to pop the cap off of the thermos. She slipped a silver packet out of her bag and promptly dumped its contents into the ginger ale. The powdered magical herbs were tasteless so her mom would never notice anything out of the ordinary. It had been starting to become a routine for her to do this. It was forbidden for muggles to partake in potions, but Hermione couldn't hold herself up to keeping up with rules anymore. This was her mother and she would try every way she could to make her well again. The powdered potion didn't last long. It was something that kept the pain at bay for a time- like an energy boost but the pain never stayed away for long. Still, it was all Hermione could think of to do for her mother. She knew the packet would allow her to be well enough to go home for about a week or so. She understood how trapped her mother must feel being cooped up in the hospital all the time.

"Hermione."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder nervously, thinking that she had been caught. Her father had a somber expression on his face but he wasn't looking at her. Instead he was staring at the floor as if hoping the secrets of the worlds would rise up before him.

"Yes, dad?"

"I'm sorry about all this. If we hadn't lost our jobs, we would never be in this mess." Ben rubbed his temples and Hermione saw that he looked like he had aged dramatically since she had last saw him. "We got behind on payments, almost lost the house. Then that loan shark had to come lurking by. You said he was a wizard, right?"

Hermione nodded. "It's not your fault. Soon everything will be fixed and we can go back to our old lives."

"I _do_ miss professionally cleaning people's teeth." Ben grinned, a bit of light returning to his sharp hazel eyes. He placed his hands on knees as leverage to get up, grunting as he did so. He grabbed the Tupperware of chicken soup. "I'll just make myself useful and go down the hall to heat this up. Be back in a jiff."

Hermione nodded, watching him as he crossed the room and closed the door behind him. She turned around to face her mother with the ginger ale in hand. She sat in bed beside her mother, and gently wrapped an arm around her to help her sit up and drink the potion. Her mother took weak sips, both hands clutching the thermos shakily. Hermione had clasped her hands over hers to steady her grip as she drank.

"Please, mum. You have to drink all of it." Hermione quickly came up with an excuse. "Remember what you always say. A shame to let good food and drinks go to waste."

Her mother chuckled lightly and she took somewhat bigger swallows. Hermione took the cup away and saw that there was still more than half left over.

"Promise you will finish later, alright?"

"I will, dear." She placed her hand over Hermione's. "But I need you to promise _me_ something first."

"Anything," Hermione said, staring earnestly into her mother's honey-colored eyes.

"When I leave this world...I would like a big party held at my funeral."

"What? You-

She placed a finger delicately over Hermione's lips. "Please, let me finish. I want there to be lots of food, singing and dancing. I want everyone to wear bright colors," she breathed. "And...I don't want anyone to be crying for me. Not one tear. You understand?"

Hermione felt her eyes well up with unshed tears, but she closed her eyes and willed them to seep back into the bowels of her heart where they belonged.

"Mum, it's _OK_," she insisted, gripping her mother's hands in hers'. Hermione had never noticed just how small and fragile they were. "It's alright, you're going to be fine."

Delia smiled at her, squeezing her hand gently as if Hermione were the patient and not the other way around. "Yes, everything will be just fine. But enough about me, sweetheart. I want to know how you and Ronald are doing. It's been quite a while since you've mentioned him and even longer since your father and I have last seen him."

"We're good." Hermione glanced down at the floor, unable to hide her smile. "We're very happy together. I'll bring Ron with me next time I visit. Promise."

"Are you really happy with him?" Delia asked. "Truly?" she pressed.

"Yes, mum." Hermione laughed. "My answer will never change. I'll always love Ron."

Delia looked thoughtful as she played with the ends of her bone straight ash blonde hair. "Sorry if I seem too nosy." She pouted. "I just want my only daughter to be happy, and I want the man she spends the rest of her life with to love her in the best way she deserves. You can't just follow your heart because sometimes it can be so misleading. Now, don't get me wrong," she said, holding her hand up when she saw Hermione opening her mouth to speak. "I like Ronald. He's a good young man and I'd adore having him as my son-in-law, but I just want_ you_ to be sure you're really in love. It is the most abused word in the human language, after all. People fall in and out of love everyday, tossing the word around without care."

She grabbed both of Hermione's hands in hers and stared beseechingly into her eyes. "You have little experience with men, darling. Ronald is only your second boyfriend, and as sad as it may be, most don't find their true love after the first few times. You're a sweet, beautiful and intelligent young woman and I trust that you'll choose the right man for you someday." She played with the band of her golden wedding ring, a smile playing at her pink seashell lips. "Many people never get the one they want...but somehow they end up with the one they're _supposed_ to have."

"I want what you and dad have," Hermione murmured, eyes wide and sincere. "I have never seen anyone more in love with each other than you two. I love Ron so much and hope our love can mature enough to be like yours."

"You don't have to look to us as an example." Delia chuckled, smoothing her hand over Hermione's unruly curls. "Or mirror us. Everyone is different. I used to look at my own mum and dad's marriage as an example of love. My mum had the worst temper and she would take out her frustration on the world by throwing plates at the wall after a long day of work sometimes. And you know what my father did?" Hermione shook her head, giggling as she tried to picture the whole scenario unfolding in front of her. "My father was right there beside her...handing her those plates," she said matter-of-factly.

Hermione let go of Delia's hands to smother her own laughter. Delia's face softened as she stared up at her daughter with so much love that it nearly broke Hermione's heart and she stopped laughing.

"It's good to hear you laugh, dear. Do it more often for me and please take what I've said to heart."

Hermione smiled. "I will." The alarm in her watch suddenly went off like crazy and Hermione groaned. She turned around when she heard the door open, and her father stepped in with the heated chicken noodle soup. Her father rose an eyebrow at her as he crossed the room to set the soup on his wife's tray. Hermione pressed a button to turn off the alarm, biting her lip and gave her parents an apologetic look. "Pansy," she explained.

"Ah," Ben said bitterly, shoving his hands into his pockets as he leaned against the wall beside Delia's bed. "That woman's not overworking you, is she?"

"Not at all, Dad. Pansy treats me very well and pays me fairly each week." Hermione stood on tip-toe to kiss her dad on the cheek before she leaned over her mother to peck her forehead. "Love you both, I'll see you guys soon."

She whipped her wand out of her bag and Disapparated to Pansy's manor. She unbuttoned her coat and smiled at the elf who offered to hang it up for her. She declined politely, seeing as how she abhorred elves serving anyone and because the coat rack was only about a foot away from her. She made her way into the impressively large kitchen, and began getting out the necessary ingredients for an omelet. Lately, Pansy had taken an interest in trying muggle food so now Hermione had to cook her a different muggle meal each day the muggle way just like all her tasks in this mansion had to be done.

"Hermione, I need you!"

Hermione inwardly groaned. Not two minutes in the manor and Pansy already _needed_ her for something. Now she used the word _'need'_ extremely loosely since Pansy herself didn't actually know the difference between want and need. It was usually the former that she requested rather than the latter. It was more than just a bit annoying to be attending to Pansy since it was a twenty-four job. Hermione only had a day off out of the week to herself and even then, Pansy would randomly owl her in the middle of the night for her to come over and make her do so something as redundant as fixing her a midnight snack. Hermione glanced at her watch. There wasn't much time left until she she met up with Ron for breakfast. If she could wait for her breakfast then the little princess herself upstairs could wait a bit as well.

She hummed to herself as she started chopping parsley, basil leaves and scallions. She poured them into a meta bowl, rapidly stirring four eggs in as well. Still mixing the omelet batter, she exited the kitchen to walk up the marble staircase, taking two steps at a time when she heard Pansy calling her name again. Hermione made it to the landing and walked down a long, dim hallway. At the end of the hall was light pouring in through a wide open door. Hermione peered inside to find a gussied up Pansy standing in front of her bed looking puzzled. She had a hand under her chin as she stared down at a lavender and pink dress spread neatly across her four poster bed.

"You rang?" Hermione asked, trying not to sound too sour.

"Yes, I'll be attending a business party and I want your opinion on which dress I should take."

"Well, what sort of look are you going for?"

Pansy twirled a lock of her ebony hair as she thought about it. "Something cute but not childish. Elegant but nothing that says I'm trying too hard."

Hermione wrinkled her nose as she stepped closer to inspect the dresses. "You want me to tell you honestly?

"Obviously, I want a straight answer, Granger or else I wouldn't have bothered to ask for a second opinion," Pansy said tartly, placing her hands on her narrow hips.

"Neither." Hermione opened Pansy's walk-in closet and instantly the rack of clothes began revolving. She reached out a hand to grab a silky baby blue number. The short frilly sleeves would drape over the shoulders with white ribbon criss-crossing over them, and a hem line would flare out just above her knees and trail behind her just above her ankles. "I think you should try this one."

Pansy inspected the dress. "I haven't worn this dress before. I can't believe I had forgotten about it." She smiled at Hermione. "Thanks, you're a genius. If you weren't already working for me, I would consider hiring you to be my assistant in fashion design."

"Anything else you'll be needing?"

"Yes, I want you to pick up some groceries, send this dress," Pansy said, pointing to the dress Hermione had helped her pick out, "to the wizard dry-cleaners, do my laundry and tidy up my room." She grinned stupidly. "And that should be all for the day, I think."

"Actually, when I said if you needed anything, I meant like opinions on shoes or adding something more to your breakfast." Hermione gestured at the metal bowl of well-mixed omelet batter. "I have to go meet Ron for breakfast, go do some paperwork at the Ministry and go to my third job at Flourish and Blotts. Then I'm heading to the Burrow. It's Ginny's birthday party today, remember? I've been reminding you for days so you wouldn't arrange any big tasks for me when the day finally came."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's right, how could I forget you had prearranged plans with the Weazlette."

Hermione was about to retort when she suddenly heard her cell phone ringing.

"If that's all you need, I'll be going. Your breakfast will be ready soon."

She exited the room, closing the door behind her before Pansy could say another word. She flipped the phone open as she descended the marble stair case, averting her eyes away from portrait upon portrait of either Pansy or her family members that lined the wall. They were all quite an interesting-looking bunch to say the least. Her gaze wandered to the jade green and bluebell flower-patterned wallpaper. Strange family but remarkably good taste. Maybe when she had time, she'd ask Pansy to help her remodel her flat.

"Hey, Harry."

"Hey, what're you up to?

Hermione walked into the kitchen and placed a spoonful of vegetable oil on the pan. She watched as it danced and fizzled across the pan's flat surface before adding a good amount of batter onto it.

"Nothing much. Just fixing up breakfast," she said, placing her cell phone inbetween her ear and neck. She turned over the omelet once she was sure her cell phone was in no danger of falling.

"For Pansy," Harry said flatly. It came out more of a statement than question. Hermione winced.

"Yeah...I am."

Harry sighed. "Hermione, for the hundredth time, please let me pay for all the debts. I don't like you working over there."

"No," she said quickly. "It's fine, you don't have to worry about me."

"You know I'll pay for all the debts and find you somewhere cheaper to live. You would even be welcome at my place if you like."

It was Hermione's turn to sigh. "I know you can, and just the thought alone makes me so thankful but I can't burden you like that, Harry." Before Harry could say anything else, she quickly added, "I promise it won't last much longer. I'm almost done repaying my dad's debts to Pansy."

"So stubborn, just like Ron." Harry sighed. He chuckled quietly after a moment. "No wonder you guys are so good together."

Hermione smiled at that. "Thank you, Harry. Putting me aside, are you ready for tonight?

"Ready as I'll ever be." Harry's breath sounded uneven over the phone. "I think Ginny's will fancy the engagement ring I got for her."

"I should hope so,_ I_ helped you pick it out, after all," Hermione said, flipping the omelet once more before placing it on a plate. She set it down on the counter and poured some orange juice in a glass.

Harry laughed lightly. "Yeah, thanks for that. I'm so lost when it comes to stuff like this," he admitted sheepishly.

"It's cute watching you get all shy like this, Harry Potter." Hermione giggled. "Ginny will love it, don't you worry."

"Think so?"

"Know so. I'll see you tonight. I have to go meet Ron for breakfast right now and then head to work."

"Alright, see you."

"Bye."

Hermione shoved her cell phone into her pocket and turned around, jumping back in surprise when she saw Pansy leaning against the doorway. She was dressed in the gown Hermione had picked out for her with her hair pulled back half-way and curled at the tips. She was inspecting her French manicured nails with disinterest.

"Why did you lie to him like that?"

Hermione's eyes widened before turning away to untie her apron. She hung it on a hook on the wall closest to her. "I don't like having Harry worry about me all the time."

Pansy nodded, turning her eyes away awkwardly. "So Potter is getting engaged, is he? To the Weazlette I presume?"

"Yeah, he's proposing to _Ginny_ tonight." Hermione's eyes sparkled with joy for her friend. "I can't wait to see the look on Ginny's face when he finally does."

"Lucky girl, she is. She can finally move out of the Burrow and into somewhere that doesn't smell like a bird's nest."

Pansy had become nice over the years...well about as nice as she could get. She didn't openly toss the whole blood or status thing in Hermione and Ginny's face when she came by. Sometimes she'd let casual comments like that slip out without thinking. Despite those slips, she could actually be quite understanding when it came to Hermione's other two jobs, family and friends.

"This smells really good," Pansy said, grinning as she stepped closer to omelet on the counter. She pouted after a moment. "I should've asked you to make me a few more of these. Oh, well, if you're in a hurry to go see your boyfriend, I won't keep you. I'll have one of the houselves prepare me a couple more." Pansy smiled mischievously. "I have to admit, you two make a cute couple. I'm sure it won't be long before he makes his own proposal to you."

Hermione blushed. "Oh, I don't think so."

"Think about it. You both have been going out for what, five years? And he tells you to meet him first thing in the morning saying he has something important to tell you." Pansy danced out of the kitchen humming the wedding march. "I hear wedding bells over the horizon," she said in a sing-song voice. She paused at the kitchen's threshold stiffly. "By the way, if Alaric calls, tell him I moved or something for me."

Hermione gawked. "You're avoiding him? But I thought you both were getting along so well."

"We lacked a certain..." Pansy trailed off as she tried to think of the right word and snapped her fingers for the effect. "...spark. You can't have a relationship work without that spark."

Hermione sighed. "I refuse to lie to Alaric. He's such a nice guy."

"Then _you_ go out with him."

Hermione was startled by her casual suggestion. "You know I have Ron. Why would you even suggest that?" She placed a hand on her hip and eyed her warily. "What was all that rubbish before about me and him being a cute couple?"

Pansy giggled. "I'm just teasing. Alright, then, if you happen to see him just tell him I'm unavailable right now and I'll owl him _if_ I get the chance."

She sashayed out of the kitchen before Hermione could so much as protest. Hermione placed her hand on her temple, shaking her head sympathetically for Alaric. But a smile played at her lips at Pansy's previous words. Her cheeks turned a bit pink at the thought. She and Ron had never discussed marriage before. It had just never come up in a conversation before. She bit her lip, unable to keep a large smile off her face as she gathered her things and Disapparated from Pansy's manor. Hermione appeared in front of a diner within Diagon Alley. It was the usual place she and Ron met up. It was a quaint little place where none of the reporters would bother them. She sat at their usual table by the window. She checked her watch; she had arrived with a few minutes to spare. Good. At least she was still punctual...not to mention immensely hungry right now.

Hermione looked over the menu before choosing to order two pancakes with a side of hash browns and pumpkin juice. The quill pen wrote everything down in a frenzy on a notepad and the waitress promised to have her food ready soon. Hermione brought out one of her favorite classic novels to read in the mean time. She flipped the book open to where she had left her bookmark. What with having to pay Pansy's debt she rarely had the time to buy any new books- much less with her two other jobs. Hermione had been focusing on her muggle education in college before the debt matter ever started up. She had expressed desires to become a muggle doctor, but now everything in her life had been put on hold indefinitely.

That included her second career choice of becoming an Auror along with Harry. It was a long, strenuous process to become an Auror and for the past five months of her servitude, she had hardly had any time at all to properly study in preparation for the Auror exam. Even with having the rest of the day off, Hermione doubted that she would be able to go take the exam and ace it. Right now she didn't feel like the brightest witch she was known for. If only she could have a short time off from Pansy so she could have some real time off to hit the books. It was far less than likely. Hermione sighed as she stared down at her empty hands, feeling her heart lodge up in her throat.

They were hands that should have made a lot more progress by now. If she were to have the position of an Auror, within a few more months she would without a doubt be able to repay the remaining sum of her father's debt. With what she made right now off of Pansy, her job at Flourish and Blotts and her job at a muggle cafe combined were partly spent to repay the debt, to buy herself some groceries and other necessities while also paying for half of the hospital bill with her father. At this rate, she would never be able to pay off her father's debt. Ben had wanted to give his own fair share, declaring it was all his fault he had gotten her and her mother into all this mess in the first place.

Hermione had told him that the money he earned from his new job as a theater usher was meant solely for paying her mother's hospital bill, and other necessities that he and her mother needed while they were at home together. She remembered smiling at him and telling him to take care of her mother while she took care of the rest. It was always seemed like she never getting any closer to repaying all of the money her father had borrowed from Pansy's father, Padriac Parkinson. What business did a snotty pureblood who obviously hates muggles even be doing in a muggle community? And acting as a loan shark no less? Pansy had later told her that it was a publicity stunt he did so his family could gain recognition for _'loving muggles_' after previously being involved with Death Eaters. She claimed that Padriac needed this in order to give himself and his family a good name, and to also give him a chance to mess with a Harry Potter's mudblood friend's muggle parents without having to resort to anything illegal. Of course Rita Skeeter was involved to make the situation seem more generous than it actually was.

Ron was completely understanding about her whole situation, but only because Hermione had exaggerated the truth quite a bit. She made Harry promise her that he would never tell Ron what was really going on. Knowing him he would explode and waltz straight up to Pansy's father and make things a lot worse than they were. Hermione chose to tell Ron that she and Pansy had run into each other and had become reacquainted despite their Hogwarts past, becoming friends rather quickly after Hermione spoke to her over a butterbeer about how she had chosen to drop out of college in order to take care of her sick mother but couldn't find a good paying job. She had explained that Pansy had kindly offered her a job as her housekeeper.

Ron had been miffed at first that she was cleaning an old enemy's house but Hermione assured him that she liked housework and that Pansy and her were on better terms than they ever were at Hogwarts. Speak of the devil. Hermione put her book aside when she saw her boyfriend walking in through the door. She smiled, unconsciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he approached the table. He slid in across from her, looking quite tired by the look of the large bags beneath his blue eyes. Hermione's gaze strayed from the eyes she was so fond of to his bed-head. She lifted a hand to her mouth, pretending to clean it with a napkin, all the while trying to hide her smile. His bed-heads were adorable.

"Good morning."

"Morning," Ron mumbled.

Hermione frowned. "I see you didn't get enough sleep."

"Huh?" Ron's head jolted up distractedly. "Yeah, I have to stop staying up so late."

"What do you do so late at night?" Hermione asked, leaning forward with interest as she tucked her fists under her chin.

Ron shrugged. "Anything, everything. I'm usually the only one awake after my family goes to sleep. There's just always so much on my mind and it prevents me from sleeping much."

"I see. That's new to me, I have never heard you mention being an insomniac before." When Ron didn't reply, Hermione bit her lip in confusion and decided to change the subject for him. It obviously was something he didn't want to talk about. "Well, so um...you hungry?" she asked lamely.

"Nah, I ate before I came."

The waitress arrived carrying Hermione's order and set it down in front of her. Hermione thanked her and took a few sips of her pumpkin juice.

Hermione blinked at Ron who was fingering the menu with a bland expression. "Are you sure you're not hungry? You could have something off of my plate if you'd like."

"I'm fine," Ron said tersely.

Hermione sat straight up, looking at him with a lost expression. "Is something wrong? I mean, besides you not getting any sleep."

"...There's just something I _have_ to talk to you about and I don't think I can put it off anymore." Ron sighed as he rubbed an eye with the back of his hand, looking quite pained as he did so. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Please find it in you to forgive me."

Hermione could hardly breathe. Both of her hands gripped her knees tightly. "Ronald, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

Ron reached over and gently took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. "I've been feeling this way for a few months now and I can't just shake it off. I thought it would go away but now I see that we've grown apart. I think it's time we took some time off from each other."

"You...want to break up?" Hermione asked slowly, staring at their intertwined hands in disbelief. "But..." Suddenly she couldn't breathe properly and felt her chest constrict painfully. "I-I know that I've been very busy, Ron b-but I'll make time for you, I promise."

Ron shook his head. "It's not that...well, apart of it is but the bigger problem is that I just can't _see_ us together anymore."

Hermione slumped against the booth, her face like stone as she stared out the window. "So you just woke up one morning and decided you didn't love me anymore?"

"It's been a steady progress. I can't help how I feel, 'Mione," Ron explained, sighing, running his hand through his red tresses. "I thought it was just a phase but the feeling never went away...I'm really sorry." When she turned to look at Ron, she knew he meant it. Most don't mean it at all when they apologize but the way he was looking at her now with all the hard lines on his face going soft, his chin jutting out as if to justify himself- she knew he regretted ever hurting her.

Hermione felt tears prickling in her eyes. She looked away from Ron again, clenching her eyes shut. "I...I think I deserve better than this. I really do. Aren't you even going to give me the chance to help make this work?"

Ron squeezed her hand again as if he hoped he was transferring some of his strength to her. "I think you've tried...I've tried. We've both tried to make this work out. There's only so much we can do but even love has limits." He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it chastely. "You're the brightest witch I've ever met. Surely, you must have also known for a while now that things haven't exactly been going well for us."

It was true. Hermione had felt it half-way through working with Pansy and her other two jobs that she was wearing through Ron's patience. But she had foolishly been hoping that he had been coping with it, and was supporting her even though they could rarely see each other. When Hermione finally opened her eyes to meet Ron's steady gaze, she felt very close to tears all over again. The look in his eyes were so full of anguish and worst of all...sympathy. She tore her hand from his and willed her tears to disappear, pointedly avoiding his gaze once again.

"Just- just tell me something. Please be honest with me," she implored, her voice cracking. "Are you...are you in love with someone else?"

Ron's eyes widened. "No," he said instantly, face incredulous as he watched her. "Hermione, I would never _never _leave you just to be with someone else. You mean so much to me. No other woman could ever begin to compare with you. The bloke who winds up with you is going to be extremely lucky to have you in his life."

_'I always wished_ you'd_ be that bloke...'_

"Thank you, Ron." She looked up at him after a moment of trying to regain her composure. "Thank you for being honest with me, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Well...I should be going." She busied herself with collecting her purse as she stood up. "If that's everything you came to tell me, I need to be heading to work soon."

Ron's hand shot out to stop her. "'Mione, I don't want things weird between us. I still want to be friends. But if you don't feel the same way then that's fine too. I'll respect your decision no matter what." He smiled sadly at her. "If you'd rather not be friends with me at all, could I at least have one last hug?"

"Don't be silly. We're still friends." Hermione smiled back, the light not quite reaching her water-filled eyes. "We'll still get to hug all the time."

"Yeah...yeah, that's right," Ron murmured as if trying to convince himself it was true as well.

Ron stood up and pulled her close to him, his arms winding around her waist. Hermione's arms stiffly went around his lanky frame as she stared numbly over his shoulder at a happy couple who had just walked into the cafe. A moment ago she probably would have thought that she and Ron had resembled them. What a fool she was. She remembered her mother's words about not trying to mirror her parents and now she would never go through that notion at all anymore. She swallowed hard and resisted the urge to cry. How stupid of her to think that Ron would be able to endure her busy life. Any man would get impatient. Hermione ducked her head as Ron pulled away. He couldn't let her see how horrible she looked right now.

I'll erm- see you at Ginny's party tonight. You're going, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

Hermione watched Ron walk out of the diner with the gnawing, painful feeling that he was walking out of her life entirely. At the back of her mind, she knew nothing would ever be the same again after today. After a moment, she wiped her tears and tried to look as calm and composed as she had when she had first walked into the diner. The waitress who had been coming to give the bill to Hermione, stood hesitantly on the sidelines and had watched their exchange awkwardly. She gave Hermione a look of pity and it made Hermione feel as rotten as she must've looked. It was almost enough to have her in tears all over again. She rifled through her pocket and set some galleons on the table.

She buttoned up her coat and tossed her scarf around her neck, braving the cold, autumn wind as she stepped outside. As soon as Hermione left the cafe, she found the nearest alley and Disapparated to her flat. She slipped her scarf off and dropped it on the floor, removing the rest of her clothes as she walked toward the bathroom. Her coat soon followed as well as her blouse, skirt, bra, knickers and heels. Hermione reached the bathroom and turned the tap on, sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for the water to heat up and fill up the tub. She sighed as she laid her head against the edge. After a long moment of watching the tub fill up, she finally allowed the first tears to fall. She felt so cold. She couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt like this. It felt like a Dementor had just sucked her soul out; leaving her feel like she'd never have another happy thought left in the world.

Hermione caught sight of her back in the mirror. Her spine seemed to stick out more than usual, revealing the weak woman that she truly was beneath all her hair and skin; beneath the armor she tried so hard to hold up all the time. Ron had been her one weakness. He had been her first love and she had always wanted him to be her last. Holding herself with one arm as she glanced once more over her shoulder to stare at her reflection, Hermione couldn't deny the truth when it was staring so bluntly at her. She turned away with a choked sob as she sank beneath the water. She blindly reached for the soap and began scrubbing herself as if it would scrub away all her imperfections, unable to stop more tears from falling. She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to return her breathing to normal but to no avail. Hermione dropped the soap into the luke warm water and allowed her head to fall into her hands. Her shoulders shook from the exertion and her sobs echoed through the empty walls that felt like they were quickly closing in around her.

* * *

><p>There was loud tapping at the window and Draco turned to see his owl hovering in mid-air, pecking repeatedly at the glass. Draco put down his brother's journal to open the glass balcony doors. His tawny owl flew in, swirling around the room once before landing on the bookshelf beside Draco. It extended its leg out to him. He stroked her feathers and offered her a treat, which she eagerly accepted, rubbing her feathered head into his hand as thanks. He unrolled the parchment and briskly scanned its contents, smirking when he finished looking it over. It seemed like everything was ready to be put into action. Draco sent his owl off back to the owlry. He grabbed his cloak and tossed it over his shoulders, securing the clasp that held it in place.<p>

He walked over to where he had stuck Hermione's picture to the wall with his dagger. Draco held the picture at eye-level, eyes dark with bloodlust. He stuck the dagger inside his cloak for safekeeping and disintegrated the picture into ashes with his wand. There was no good in leaving this hanging around for obvious reasons. Just as he was about to Disapparate he heard a knock at his door. Draco groaned inwardly. He had forgotten entirely about his mother.

"Come in," Draco shouted after a moment of indecision.

Draco leaned against the wall, staring at the door as it opened and in came his mother looking utterly exhausted.

"When exactly do you plan on leaving this room, Draco?"

"Right now as a matter of fact." Draco glanced away. It's not as though he could let his mother in on what he was planning. She would warn him of being sent to Azkaban and possibly receiving the Dementor's Kiss. He knew the risks and this was one he had never been more prepared to take in his life. "I'm going on a trip for a while. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but I'll keep in touch."

"...I know you're troubled over your father's death. It doesn't help matters that your brother soon followed him," Narcissa said gently, crossing the room to stand in front of her son. Her winter blue orbs stared imploringly into his. "But you don't have to up and leave to escape your misery."

Draco narrowed his eyes at the floor and sighed. "It's not like that, mother...I just need to get away for awhile."

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, I will not allow you to leave this house until you properly explain why and where you are going." Narcissa stared hard at Draco and when he wouldn't relent, a look of realization suddenly crossed her features. She gave a smile partly of bitterness and amusement. "Ah...I see. Like father, like son, eh?"

Draco quirked an eyebrow at her, not sure if he liked her tone. "What are you implying, mother?"

"I recognize the same things you're doing as your father once did." She sighed. "Before I found out your father was with...his mistress, he was very secretive, restless all the time, gallivanting off to places without explanation." Narcissa gave Draco a sly grin. "I understand you have your...needs, Draco. Though, you are my son, I am well aware that you are a man. Workaholics like you must also be taken care of. So which is it, a girlfriend or a mistress?"

Draco's eyes widened. He couldn't believe he was hearing this from his own _mother_. "I..." He grit his teeth together and swallowed the urge to come outright and tell her his plans. "I should have known nothing gets by you. She's...a girlfriend," Draco forced out.

"Naturally." Narcissa shrugged regally. "What's her name?"

"Her name? Uhh..." Draco glanced around his room since he lacked imagination. He cursed himself and would've smacked himself if his mother wasn't staring at him so intently. "I'll just leave that as a surprise."

Narcissa frowned. "Such an enigma." She sighed. "You'll be sure to introduce me to her as soon as you return from wherever you're going with her?"

"Yes, mother." Draco sighed. "Now I really have to be going." He leaned down to peck her cheek. Just as he was about to turn away to Disapparate he felt his mother's hand curl against his cloak. "What's wrong?" He tried not to sound too irritated.

"Just a moment. Hold out your hand."

Narcissa pulled out her wand from her sleeve and conjured up a small vial of amber liquid. She dropped it into his uncertain open palm.

"Be sure to place three drops of this with her tea. Have her drink it at least once everyday."

"What's it for?" Draco asked, frowning down at the vial.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Goodness, Draco, it's so you don't impregnate this girl unless you're absolutely certain that she is the one you're going to marry. Can't afford to let you do anything you regret, especially if it winds up being a scandal. In case you forget to use the _Contraception_ charm during the throws of passion, _please_ make sure to take this before you do anything hasty." She looked at him expectantly. "_Is_ she the one for you? Will I be expecting a wedding soon?"

"What? No." Draco drew his eyebrows together in aggravation. "No one's getting married, mother."

"What about her blood status?" At this, she received a blank look from Draco and glanced down at the floor in embarrassment. "I know...I know we should be more accepting of mud-" She looked physically ill as she managed to cut herself off mid-word. She squared her shoulders and the tension slowly left as she smiled faintly at her son. Draco leaned against the wall as he silently regarded her. "I mean muggleborns, half-bloods and even muggles in general. It's not that I still detest them, love, but it's hard to change after generations and generations of one idea has been heavily implanted into one person and passed onto the next."

"You don't have to put on a show for anyone, mother," Draco said aloofly, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced out the window. "I certainly won't. Maybe that's something for the next Malfoy generation to dabble with but us...I don't expect we'll change. At least not anytime soon. I'm entirely indifferent to common blood. And to answer your question, I'm not sure about my girlfriend's blood status."

"Indifferent is just fine. Your father would have wanted it that way." She reached out to stroke his hair lovingly. "I have to tell you something despite what you have just said." Draco raised an eyebrow at this. "If your young lady does in fact have...common blood, have her as a mistress if you must but that's as far as your lust should take you." Narcissa pouted, looking quite frustrated. "Oh, Draco, darling you really should thoroughly investigate the women you court."

Draco drew himself away from the wall, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, mother, I don't make it a habit to run a background check on all of my girlfriends," Draco said dryly. "Call me daft but things like that tend to scare most people away."

Narcissa looked up at him curiously. "Is she lovelier than Astoria?"

"What?"

Why was she bringing up an old flame that had died out two years ago? She had been the only girlfriend he had had that his mother had been particularly fond of besides his first girlfriend, Pansy. Even before his father had died, she would always drop hints about why he had let Astoria get away. Truth be told, Draco wanted to focus on his career rather than get too involved in a relationship. Getting involved with a woman was too much trouble and not worth the effort. Too much expectation and in the end, Draco only gave promises he didn't intend to keep. Though, he had been close to proposing to Astoria at one point just get the whole affair over with, she had announced that she wanted to break up.

She declared that while she loved him, she was tired of waiting for him to love her back the way she did. Draco consented to the break up without protest. It wasn't too long afterward that guilt began to tug at him whenever he would find Astoria alone. How she loved someone like him was beyond Draco. He decided that he did, in fact, care about Astoria, if not romantically. It was when Greg had commented about how no girl ever seemed to please Blaise that Draco decided to introduce him to Astoria at the next charity ball. Sure enough, the plan had gone without a flaw and he had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they were engaged. From there, he swore to himself he would never ever get involved in another matchmaking scheme so help him Salazar. It made him feel disgustingly...goody-goody.

"Is she or isn't she prettier than Astoria?" his mother pressed.

"Yes, yes she's very beautiful," Draco said exasperatingly, wishing to claw his face off. "Now goodbye. I'll come visit you soon."

Draco turned around before Narcissa could say anything else and Disapparated to Flourish and Blotts. He had seen Hermione working there once or twice in passing. He watched her bustling back and forth for a moment through the store window. She had her hair up in a messy bun and wore a red button-up blouse with black slacks and was busy trying to talk to several customers at once. He entered after a moment, turning away from the counter as he walked through the many aisles of books. He picked one up and stared at its words with disinterest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione talking to one of her coworkers. Whatever she had said had made Hermione look extremely relieved.

She walked through the aisle next to the one Draco was in. He could see her clearly through the shelves of books as she sat down on a stool and started reading. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and smiled as she found her bookmarked page. Draco narrowed his eyes at her, putting as much venom into gaze as he could. How long would it be until she got off of work? What on earth was she doing, reading of all things? He watched her carefully through the bookshelf, eyes full of disdain at being so close to her; a common whore. A small, irritating beeping sound suddenly pierced through his inner hatred. Hermione closed her book and set it on her lap. She rifled through her pocket and pulled out a red rectangular object; a cell phone if Draco wasn't mistaken. Not that he knew much about muggle technology.

"Hello? Oh, hi Ginny." Hermione sounded genuinely happy to hear from her friend. "Of course I haven't forgotten. I'll be there soon. I bought you just the perfect birthday present. You're gonna love it. Alright. See you."

Hermione hopped off the stool and went toward the front counter and spoke with her coworker. Draco watched the brief exchange, watching as Hermione reached over the counter to grab her bag and coat. Once Hermione had her coat on and her bag slung over her hip, she gave a quick wave to her co-worker and was out the door. Draco nearly sighed with relief at this. He tossed the book he had been "reading" over his shoulder and briskly walked out after her. He was several yards behind her; a perfectly safe distance that wouldn't arouse suspicion. The streets of Diagon Alley were rapidly clearing up anyway. Draco watched her tighten the belt of her trench coat. When he saw her turn the corner, he sped up his pace to catch up to her, hoping she hadn't decided to Disapparate yet. He screeched to a halt when he caught up with her. A mere few yards away she was rummaging through her bag. Draco ran half the distance away and pulled out his wand. His shoulders were hunched and eyes narrowed as he murmured the incantation.

"_Accio_ Hermione's wand."

Hermione gasped when her wand suddenly flew out of her hands. Draco swiped it mid-air and tucked it into his blazer. He watched as she turned around sharply to face him. He took great delight in watching the look of shock and fear enter her eyes. He could see her breaths turning into puffs of blue clouds in front of her as she gaped at him beneath the amber street lantern light above her.

"Malfoy..." She started. "What're you doing?"

"Seeing dark justice being served."

Draco started walking menacingly toward her; every step closer that he took toward her filled with purpose. He could see anger replacing fear as he approached.

"Please give me my wand." Hermione kept her voice steady. "I don't want any trouble."

"Oh, really?" Draco gave a mocking laugh. He was now standing just an arm's length away from her, holding his wand up to her throat. "That's rich coming from you. Maybe you'd like to tell that to my dearly beloved half-brother, Alaric."

"Your half-brother," Hermione murmured, confusion evident on her face. "I never knew you had one."

Draco snorted. "Not many do. He's my brother through my father. It appeared he had a mistress while he was married to my mother. My father took him in and raised him along with me but to uphold the Malfoy name he sent him to Durmstrung where he made sure to keep Alaric's mouth shut about who his family was." He stepped closer to her, never taking his eyes off of her. "Then Alaric began consorting with a half-blood. To say the least, my father was furious. From thereafter, he disowned him and he was left without a penny to his name. It wasn't long before I lost all contact with him but recently, I had discovered that he had been in your company."

"What-what're you implying?" Hermione asked, glaring at him.

"That you were whoring around behind Weazley's back, of course." A slow smirk spread across Draco's features as he looked her up and down as if assessing her worth. "You picked the wrong brother to mess with though, Granger. You are gonna get yours, Gryffindor Princess."

"I honestly don't have any idea what your on about. Explain yourself. Or at the very least tell me where Alaric is so he can talk some sense into you."

"You won't be seeing him any time soon where you're going."

Hermione eyes widened as she watched his lips starting to form an incantation. She kicked his shin hard, hearing him curse colorfully as she fled and rounded the corner of a shop. Her flats slapped against the pavement, matching her heart drumming against her ribs and her blood pulsing loudly in her ears. Thunder cracked loudly above her, only further driving her adrenaline. Her hand reached into her beaded bag but she couldn't find her stupid phone. There was just way too much junk stuffed into her bag. A weapon; she needed some kind of weapon. The sound of shoes crunching hard against the gravel wasn't too far behind. In all the frenzy, her hand grasped her compact and hurled it at him.

Draco deflected it easily, making it explode into a shower of glass shards. They clattered onto the floor like the deadly tinkling of bells. Draco walked right over them, shoes smashing up the glass even further. Hermione felt fear clutch hold its cold, dead fingers around her heart as she ran faster. She felt the first drop of rain splash against her forehead before it began heavily pelting her. She turned another corner, frantically pushing her drenched hair out of her eyes as she ran. At the end of the alley stood Draco, dark cloak and shadowed face making him look like the Grim Reaper.

"Malfoy," Hermione tried, clenching her fists at her sides. "Please, please don't do this."

Draco sneered. "And why not? I do enjoy the sight of you trembling and begging for your life. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just Crucio you to death right now like my dear Auntie Bella once tried. You've just ran blindly into Nocturn Alley. Do you really think anyone will come to your aid here? And to help you of all people?" He walked over to her, lowering his wand to his side. He now stood a foot away from her, watching her eyes widen fearfully. Draco lifted his hand to her face and lifted her chin up so that their eyes met. A smirk spread across his face. "Those eyes of yours...so innocent, so expressive. Is that why Alaric fancied you, I wonder? What would draw me to them is watching that defiant fire leave your eyes..." He leaned forward, his warm breath puffing against her ear. "...as I watch you draw your last breath. _Stupefy_!"

Hermione slumped forward with a gasp and Draco caught her before she could hit the ground. He tossed her over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes. He glanced around quickly to make sure no one had witnessed anything from the opposite end of the alley. Holding her securely on his shoulder by the back of her knees, he Disapparated with a crack.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I hope you guys liked it. Considering how much Lucius and Narcissa despised each other, I thought it was very likely that he had a mistress. I've always liked the name Alaric ever since I started watching The Vampire Diaries. lol. It just seemed like as good a time as any to use it. I would have gone with a Constellation name to keep with the tradition of the Malfoys like Regulus, Draco, Scorpius, etc. but I couldn't find a good name. Plus it wouldn't really make sense for Lucius to keep up with tradition since the mother was a prostitute. Haha I just noticed that Pansy and Hermione's relationship is similar to Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock's from 28 Days Notice. Please let me know what you guys think of my fic so far and if I should change this story to M since the beginning mentions suicide. Please R/R for a quick review.


	2. Angel within a Harlot

**A/N: The revenge continues.**

_"From bed to bed to man to man. Once you deliver your temptation, no one can stop your master plan. Don't try to lie about it, I don't believe a thing you say. The more you try to hide it, the more the lies show on your face." - Dangerous Kind ~ The Rasmus_

**Cracked Armor**

_Chapter 2: Angel within a Harlot_

* * *

><p>The roar of waves crashing against rocks and the screeching of seagulls ebbed Hermione out of her dreams. The salty sea air invaded her senses as she sluggishly rubbed the sleep-encrusted eyes. Her eyes widened when they finally registered that she wasn't in her own bedroom. The events of last night suddenly came crashing back all at once like a ton bricks. She jolted upright, glancing at her surroundings in a panicked frenzy. She had missed Ginny's birthday! Hermione suddenly felt like slapping herself. She had just been <em>kidnapped<em> and she was worried about missing a friend's _party_? That was the least of her worries at this point. Hermione scrambled off of the small bed and took in her surroundings.

It looked like a one bedroom tiki hut. The only furnishings in the room were the green-foamed mattress she sat on along with a nightstand. Nearly covering the entire room, an Indian-looking carpet was spread out with a bird and coconut design. A chair sat propped up against the corner of the room with dust and cobbwebs cloaking it. Right by the bed was what appeared to be some sort of glass cabinet with red polished wooden drawers just beneath it. As Hermione approached it, she noticed that there were clothes inside. Whose room was this supposed to be? Why had Draco brought her here? What did he mean that he wanted revenge for Alaric? There were simply too many questions to ask. She tore her gaze away from the glass cabinet when she heard voices outside of the door.

Hermione felt her heart speed up, instinctively reaching into her pocket for her wand. She groaned when she felt nothing. Of course. The voices were approaching quickly. She supposed it would be silly of her to just pretend she was sleeping or attempt to hide in this small room. Hermione snapped her attention to the single window filtering sunlight into the room. It was just big enough for her to crawl through. Tossing her flats off, Hermione threw one leg over the window, her heart hammering in her chest almost painfully, before heaving herself entirely over the window. She landed on her knees, wincing when she made impact with a thorny plant. Smothering a shriek, she stumbled onto her feet and broke into a fierce run through the trees without glancing back.

She had no idea where she was or where she was headed- only that it was better than to stick around before Draco found her. Her bare feet padded through the grass and moist dirt, making loud sucking sounds as she ran. Hermione cried out as branches seemingly reached out like claws and scraped at her arms and legs. She stumbled over a stray rock, arms windmilling wildly to prevent her fall. She barely managed to reach out and encircle her arms around the trunk of a tree just in time. She glanced behind her when she heard angry voices in the distance. Hermione bolted past the tree, feeling a piece of her blouse get snared on a branch. She continued running without turning around once. Hermione's legs felt wobbly from fear and anxiety as they took her through the jungle.

There was a large canopy over her, so thick that barely any light penetrated through it. Hermione evaded a pile of Devil's Snare by taking one large leap over it without hesitation. As she sped up her mad running, she noticed bright light up ahead of her. Her legs took her as far as they could in that direction before they finally gave out on her upon reaching the sandy part of what appeared to be...an island. The snowy sand sparkled like billions of starbursts beneath her, scorching her legs mercilessly from the heat of the intense afternoon sun. She panted raggedly, fighting for every breath she took. She didn't think she had ever run that hard in her life. As her heart slowly returned to normal, she glanced up at the cerulean sea that stretched out before her.

The vast water seemed to go on for miles in front of her with no sign of civilization in sight. Hermione bit her lip in thought. She supposed she could always swim but she could only swim so far before getting exhausted. Hermione surveyed her surroundings desperately. Perhaps...she could try building a raft. Hermione struggled onto her shaky legs and began pulling hunks of driftwood together. She paused as a buzz-killing thought suddenly occurred to her. _What would she tie them together with?_ Way to plan ahead, Hermione. She swore the first thing she would do was send Malfoy's sorry arse to Azkaban as soon as she returned home. Hermione glared at the wood in her arms as she unceremoniously dropped the driftwood she was holding.

Right where the driftwood had fallen, she noticed a fist-sized rock laying half-covered by the sand. Maybe...if she built a bonfire, a ship or an airplane might spot her! She pulled the rock out of the sand and eagerly searched for another one. Upon finding it, she began hauling more driftwood into her rapidly towering pile. Hermione sunk to her knees once more and scraping the rocks against one another right near the driftwood. Watching out impatiently for a spark, she ground her teeth together and scraped the rocks even harder against each other. She stiffened up when a looming shadow obscured the sun above her. Hermione whipped around, eyes widening when she saw Greg standing menacingly over her. He reached toward her in time to receive a fistful of sand from Hermione.

He cried out when it entered his eyes, hands flying to his face in agony. Hermione crawled away a few feet before she broke into a run. Too distracted with making sure Greg wasn't following her, she bumped into something hard. Hermione glanced up into Draco's face. He grasped her by the forearms and forced her closer to him; their faces literally inches apart. Hermione's eyes widened at the look of naked rage in his stone gray only thought that crossed her mind at that moment was what angel heaventsent or earth-bound could he have stolen that face from? People were right when they said it was the expressions and not the face that mattered for his sharp, angry expression didn't suit his face at all. His eyes flickered from her to Greg who was struggling to wipe sand from his eyes.

"I can't believe you let her escape, Greg. I told you to keep watch over her," Draco shouted, his face twisted up severely.

Greg flinched at the sound of his voice before hesitantly opening his eyes. "I'm sorry. We should really put bars on that window."

"_We_ won't do anything." Hermione winced when she felt Draco's nails biting into her skin. "_You_ will take care of it."

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away," Greg said submissively, brushing the sand off of his shirt.

Draco's expression softened somewhat before turning frosty once more when his attention returned to Hermione. She stiffened under his gaze so full of hatred, making her feel almost cold despite the heat of the sun glaring over them. His hold on her tightened more if possible.

"And you, Granger, I didn't think you would be stupid enough to run away. Smartest witch of her age indeed." Draco pushed her to the ground, relishing in the sight of her falling face-first into the sand. Hermione cried out in surprise, feeling all breath gush out upon making impact with the ground. She half-coughed and spit sand out of her mouth as she rose up on her elbows. She glared defiantly at him over her shoulder as she rolled over to sit up. Draco's boot planted itself onto her stomach and forced her back down, the traces of a sadistic smile quirking up one side of his mouth. "You're not going anywhere. You'll stay here until I say otherwise."

Hermione placed her hands on his ankle in a vain attempt to remove his boot from her stomach. She glared at him all the while as her feet made little dust clouds around them in her struggle.

"Why're you doing this to me? I swear I've never done anything to harm Alaric!"

Draco narrowed his eyes, pressing his boot harshly against her stomach. "Don't you dare _lie_ to my face like that." He suddenly looked smug as he gave her struggling form the once over. "Always knew a bookworm like you had it in you to be a harlot. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong brother to mess with. His blood is on your hands now and I intend on making you seek penance for the day you ever laid eyes on him." Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "He is _dead_ because of you! You toyed around with his heart and led him to poison himself!" he shouted.

"Dead?" Hermione asked breathlessly as she stared up at Draco in a mixture of sorrow and utter disbelief. "Poison...no, no he wouldn't have."

"I thought so too, Granger but his grave on this island is proof enough of that. You'll find that _love_..." He seemed to find this amusing. "Will make you do the craziest things. He tried his damnest to please you but having one man wasn't enough, was it? You just had to go and seduce every other bloke you encountered."

Hermione shook her head wildly, anger blossoming vividly in her eyes. "No! That isn't me- that isn't me at all! I did love Alaric but as a _friend._" She shrank back when Draco scowled savagely at her, making a violent movement toward her before righting himself. "We have never had that sort of relationship together. This is all a big misunderstanding."

"Don't try lying your way out of this. The proof is right here. Look at what the backs of each of these bloody pictures say." He pulled out a show of pictures of Alaric with Hermione from his pocket and threw them at her feet. Hermione stared at the pictures, the stories behind each of them slowly coming back to her. She turned one on its back and then another in astonishment. A sudden gust of wind picked them, blowing them out of reach. "I destroyed one of them already but I found these inside a magically hidden pocket inside my brother's journal. _Forever and always_," he mocked with a sneer. "You've slept enough of the day away." Draco removed his boot off of her stomach. Hermione let out a breath of relief and splayed her hand over her abused abdomen. She could feel the promise of a bruise starting to blossom over the tender flesh. "Go make Greg and I something to eat."

"What makes you think I'd do anything for you two goons?" Hermione spat.

Hermione got to her feet, stepping back when she realized she was only eye-level with Draco's collar bone.

"Let's just say you don't have a choice, Granger," Draco said, bending his head down and getting right in her face. Hermione backed away further, but kept her fists clenched tightly at her sides."You might find yourself dead before sunset if you don't get _moving_." He took great pleasure in watching the horror sink into her eyes. He smiled a tight, cruel smile as he continued staring down at her with eyes that could only be described as a predator's. "Greg, why don't you show our _guest_ where the kitchen is."

Hermione yelped when he suddenly shoved her toward Greg. He grabbed her wrist none too gently and began hauling her after him. Hermione screeched and tore her arm away. She huffed heavily, feeling flustered as she glared at Greg.

"I can walk on my own, _thank you_!"

Greg gave her a look of uncertainty, before motioning for her to follow him. Hermione didn't have to look back to see the giant smirk on Draco's face as she turned to follow Greg. They trekked back through the jungle with Draco trailing behind them. They were on a cleared away path that wound its way through the rainbow eucalyptus trees. On either side of her were trees bearing pomegranetes or red crapabble and white magnolia flowers. Hermione frowned. These weren't things thqt grew on tropical islands. Large drops of dew hung from onto every branch and leaf, shimmering like crystals all around her, giving Hermione a strange dream-like feeling.

It wasn't long before Hermione could glimpse a relatively large clearing. There was the tiki hut she had been residing in before at the very center. Right next to the hut was a place that resembled an open dining room with a black-slated roof top complete with a picnic table and a small kitchen area. Draco walked by them and sat down on the table, his eyes on Hermione as she walked up the last steps behind Greg. Greg joined Draco at the picnic table looking quite uncertain.

"Well, what're you waiting for? The food's not gonna cook itself."

"What would you like to eat?" Hermione asked through clenched teeth.

Draco place a hand under his chin pensively. "Hmm...surprise us."

She rolled her eyes as she walked by the table, flinching when Draco reached out and hauled her back to him. His eyes had lost the sarcastic humor and were now cold and depthless.

"No funny business, Granger."

He released her after a moment and Hermione resisted the urge to slap him. No one had ever treated her this roughly, not even Ron. Especially not Ron. Hermione's heart squeezed painfully at the mere thought of Ron as she walked into the kitchen area. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of him as she moved here and there across the creaky floorboard, trying to collect items for cooking. She grabbed four potatoes and a slab of chicken breast. As she peeled the potatoes and cut the chicken, she could hear Draco and Goyle immersed in deep conversation. She glanced at them from the corner of her eye and saw Greg twirling his wand in between his fingers- albeit clumsily- to the wand that was tucked into Draco's back pocket.

Chances were that Hermione was more compatible with Goyle's wand; it was mediocre enough that anyone could have wielded it. It definitely sounded better than trying to steal Draco's wand. Goyle was stupid enough so as soon as his guard was lowered, she would take her chance to knock him out and steal it. So caught up in her plans as she peeled the potatoes, that she accidentally cut a long line down her forefinger. She let out a yelp as she clutched her finger, letting the knife clatter onto the floor, barely missing her bare feet. Draco and Goyle whirled around to stare at her in surprise.

"Go easy on the knife, I don't want your dirty blood all over my food. Got it?"

Hermione glowered viciously at Draco as she sucked on tip of her forefinger. "Sod off, Malfoy."

She turned away to tend to her cut, spotting a barrel full of water across from her. She dipped a bowl into it and let her finger soak in it for a few moments. Tearing a bit off from her sleeve, she tied the cloth into a neat bow on her finger. After she had finished cleaning up, she threw the peels and excess chicken away and placed the chopped food in the frying pan. Hermione added cooking oil and turned the gas knob, stirring the meat and potatoes around diligently. As soon as the food finished frying, she placed an equal amount onto each place. Hermione balanced the food on both hands, quickly regretting it as she made a dash for the picnic table. It was scalding. She all but threw the plates onto the table. She turned away- to go where?- she didn't know when Draco's voice halted her once more.

"What am I suppose to wash this filth down with, Granger? Air?"

Hermione glanced sharply at him over her shoulder. "No, I don't suppose so. Your giant head is already way too full of that, isn't it?"

Greg sputtered out a laugh, his mouth full of food. Draco turned to give him a cold stare before directing it back at Hermione.

"There's a packet of Earl Gray in the cabinet. Bring us some."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What's the magic word when someone does you a favor?" she asked sardonically.

Draco gave her an odd look as if he were really thinking about it. "Let's see_...now_."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she marched back to the cabinets. She found the box of tea in the far back of the cabinet. She held the teabags over two china cups of hot water. She brought the cups and set them down on the table to find Goyle eating her food as if it was going out of style and Draco merely staring down at it his skeptically.

"Something wrong with the food?" Hermione asked mock-concerned, crossing her arms over her chest. It was getting too hot. She had already undone a couple of buttons and had rolled up her sleeves but it still wasn't enough. Not nearly. "Too good for _your_ rich blood?"

Draco smirked. "Besides the fact that it was cooked by you, nothing much is wrong with it. I'm just not as hungry as I thought." He pushed his plate toward Goyle and stood up.

"You prat," Hermione hissed. "Don't expect me to cook for you anymore. I'm not your servant."

Draco stepped closer to her, his eyes glistening with amusement. "You're right...you're not. You're my defendant. Accused but never to receive a trial. I've seen all I've needed to see." He stared her up and down, making Hermione feel uncomfortable. "An angel, I've heard people call you countless of times. More like a regular Greek _Lamia_ to me."

"Sodding git!" Hermione raised her hand to strike him but Draco was too fast for her. He grabbed her wrist just in time and held it up to his face. He moved it away to look at her.

"It's about time you start getting used to the idea. Like I said, you won't be leaving the Malfoy island for a long time." Draco glared at her. "I'm going to tell you _exactly_ how things are going to be from now on. You will do exactly as I say if you hope to extend your life line even by an minute."

Hermione's amber orbs burned with hatred. "You had best let me go unless you want a repeat of third year."

Draco gave her a hard look at the memory but released her after a moment. "You're going to be residing in that hut you woke up in from now on. Your first job is..." Hermione watched with horror as he started unzipping his trousers. He threw them at her so hard she nearly fell back. Even Greg had risen an eyebrow at his friend's strange actions. "Mend those for me," he said with a finality that said the conversation was officially closed. Hermione gaped at him, wondering how he still managed to sound serious and menacing even though he was now sitting in his boxers.

"You can't honestly expect me to-

"I do and you will. Now get to it."

Hermione surpressed a growl. "Do you have a sewing kit, _Ferret_?" Hermione asked, putting as much malice and disdain in her voice as possible.

Draco's shoulders tensed up at the name before jerking his thumb behind him. "Cabinet."

Hermione walked toward the cabinet without a word and pulled out a clear checkered rectangular box. Why Draco carried around a sewing kit Hermione would never know. She sat on a stool in the corner of the would-be kitchen and set to work on mending the tattered hem of his trousers. She absently pricked her fingers a few times. Clearly, she was out of practice. Hermione looked away as Draco put his pants back on. He sneered at her as he finished zipping it up and re-did the top button.

"Just _try_ running away again and you don't want to know what's going to happen to you." He grabbed her arm and dragged her down the steps toward the tiki hut. He opened the door and thrust her inside. She shrieked as she landed in a heap beside the bed. "Stay in here until I _request_ your presence," he said mockingly, bowing at the waist for show.

"This is _inhumane_, Malfoy! You can't just keep me in here!"

"Actually I can. Without your wand, you're all too vulnerable."

"Return me my wand. If Alaric were here he'd never let you get away with your uncouth behavior," Hermione cried out.

She froze at the look of blatant evil lurking in his stone gray eyes and scooted away from him until her back hit the nightstand.

"You could at least try to at least act a bit more remorseful. Instead of waiting around to kill you, I could make you my personal servant. I'll put you out of your misery as soon as I've broken your spirit. In exchange for a longer life, what do you say?"

"Screw you!"

"I might have to pass. I'm not as easy to seduce as my brother, whatever you may think." Draco turned and shut the door behind him, leaving a stewing Hermione in his wake.

She paced around the room restlessly, running her hands through her curls, resisting the urge to yank them out by the roots. Draco hadn't changed- that much was obvious. In fact, he seemed to have gotten even worse than the bully persona he paraded around during their Hogwarts years. Hermione never thought she would actually miss the prissy Slytherin whose job was to make her and her friends' lives a living hell. He was doing a rather splendid job of it right now. Briefly, Hermione wondered what Pansy had ever seen in a git like him. The girl had been _obsessed_ with him for years, and she had an inkling Pansy might still have a soft spot for the little ferret even now after all this time.

Hermione paused in front of the glass wardrobe she had seen earlier. Unable to hide her curiosity, she grabbed the brass handles of each door and pulled out a blouse. It was an orange top with a pink shimmery lotus pattern at the bottom. Hermione's eyes widened as she went through the clothes. They all appeared to be her size more or less. She didn't even want to take a stab at how Draco had managed to guess her size, especially when it came to her bra size. It was getting way too hot to stand her clothes anymore. Hermione glanced behind her at the door to make sure no one walked in before she began unbuttoning her blouse. Of course, she was constantly looking back for fear of being walked in on as she slipped on a forest green tank top.

She reached up to her chest and felt the gold oval-shaped locket Ron had given her. Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing it. She had completely forgotten she was wearing it. Even though they had broken up, it still seemed second nature for her to wear it everyday. Hermione opened the locket to reveal a lock red hair and a brown curl beside each other. On the other side was a clock of twelve of their most important events together. Where the number one showed a charm of the Hogwarts Express- the first time they had ever met to the first time they ever kissed and so on. She closed it after a moment, her thumb lovingly rubbing the side silhouette of a woman holding a small ruby butterfly trapped inside of a pearl bubble.

She smiled sadly as she closed it back up and let the locket settle back against her chest. Now wasn't the time or place to be thinking of Ron. Hermione resumed going through the clothes and found capris as well as several ankle-length skirts. She chose a wrinkle-designed cobalt blue skirt with a frilly hem and made haste with slipping it on. In the first drawer she found bras and knickers much to Hermione's embarrassment. Whatever Draco had in store for her, he really intended on keeping her on the island for a while, just by looking at the amount of clothes he had gotten. He had really seemed to have had everything planned out down to the last detail. The second drawer had two pairs of sandals. Hermione drew them out and sure enough they fit like a glove.

Hermione twirled around a few times, pinching the sides of her long skirt to make it wider. She smiled a bit despite herself. This normally wasn't her style. Usually she would choose something more casual or conservative but this was actually kind of cute. Hermione sat down on the bed, folding her legs beneath her as she stared at her surroundings uncertainly. What was there to do but wait for Draco to come back and harass her some more? She laid down on the bed, sighing deeply as she stared at the beige cross-hatch woven ceiling. Her hand found the locket time and time again of its own accord. It was the only comfort Hermione had at the moment. Night time seemed like a life time away. It was the only time her captors would have their guards down and she could try to steal Greg's wand. Everyone was probably worried sick about her. She needed to get home...somehow.

* * *

><p>Ron sighed as he leaned against the side of a building. "This just isn't working, Luna. We've looked everywhere."<p>

Luna stood beside him, looking straight ahead, her eyes gazing on dreamily. "We haven't looked everywhere. There are far too many places around the world we haven't looked. We can't rule out other possible countries Hermione might be in."

"I didn't mean it literally, Luna." He sighed in exasperation, sticking his hands into his coat pockets. He had forgotten to put on gloves in their haste to form a search party for Hermione. Ginny, Harry, Neville and the rest of the Weazley clan that had shown up for Ginny's birthday had formed into pairs and had split up to search for her. Ron and Luna were to wait for Hermione at her house in case she returned but no such luck. "And don't be daft. Why would she suddenly take off and leave the country?"

"She wouldn't. Not unless she was forced to."

Luna began skipping back and forth in front of Ron, her frilly rainbow-colored dress making Ron wince from the brightness. It looked like someone had taken a plain white dress and decided to splash every color of paint they could think of onto it.

"What are you saying Luna?"

"Sometimes we have to think illogically if we want to arrive to a logical answer only to discover it was illogical all along...logically." Luna quirked her head up at him and smiled briefly before flipping back to a more calmer demeanor. "I don't want to think the worst but Hermione's been gone all night. This isn't something our Hermione would do which means that we can't rule out the possibility that she might have been kidnapped."

"Why would someone kidnap-" Ron stopped mid-sentence, feeling the urge to smack himself. _Of course_ Hermione would have a motive to be kidnapped- she was after all Harry's friend, a war hero and an Auror. Therefore she was not only a weakness by association but also a threat. "Merlin, if she has been kidnapped, how are we going to find her?

"Flourish and Blotts is the last place she was seen, according to Harry and Ginny." Luna looked around wildly, her star-fish earrings swinging against her cheeks. She ran across the street, arms out as if ready for take off and Ron had no choice to be chase after her. She skidded to a halt in front of Flourish and Blotts and suddenly turned right. "They said that they saw her going this way. Let's see for ourselves." She bit her lip. "I think I may have an idea on how to find her." When Ron opened his moutht to say something, she quickly cut him off with "No time for questions just follow. I'll explain everything right now if I think we've found a lead on Hermione. I'm really take a gamble but I think it's our best bet."

Ron placed his hands deeper inside his coat pockets, shivering as a chilly breeze swept over him. Just seeing Luna in her dress made him colder. Luna turned around suddenly, her eyes wide and her lips upturned. She jogged to his side and grabbed his hand, dragging him after her. They stopped upon reaching the next corner.

"You normally Disapparate with Hermione, right?"

"Actually, she prefers walking since the brick wall dividing Diagon Alley from muggle London isn't too far of a walk from her house." Ron frowned at the memory, his eyes filled with trepidation.

"Do you know what kind of places Hermione usually goes to Disapparate when you're not around?

"She told me once that she looks for the nearest lamp post to Disapparate from when it's night. She said she usually goes when she tired or in a hurry."

He glanced around, squinting his eyes into the distance. "There's one over there. Let's go check it out."

They both ran up the sidewalk, soon screeching to a halt in front of a lamp post. Ron's eyes widened when Luna actually got down on all fours and began moving her hands on the ground as though she were swimming.

"What're you doing?" He sighed as he crouched down beside her.

"Everyone knows that the best way to find something is to see it from a toddler's point of view," she said matter-of-factly in a dreamy sort of voice. "Do it with me. Finding even the most insignificant-looking object could really help."

Ron glanced around at all the passerbys across from them who were giving them odd looks. Oh, well. He had nothing to lose anymore. He sighed and got down on all fours with Luna. Several minutes went by without either of them finding anything until Ron spotted something shiny in the drainage. He pointed his wand at it, levitating it and unceremoniously dropping it on the side somewhere. Sure enough he could see a small object down below. Beside him, Luna was taking off her shoes and preparing to jump in. He spread his arm out, bumping Luna's stomach gently, making her take a few steps back.

"Uhh don't worry about it, Luna. I'll handle this."

Luna's arched her eyebrows. "Really. How manly of you, Ron."

Ron chuckled. "Not really but...thanks?"

He jumped in and began digging through the sludge. He let out a cry of triumph as he lifted up the object in his hand, watching the light bounce off of it. Luna helped pull him back up, her eyes alight with curiosity as Ron deposited the object into her awaiting hands. She turned the topaz earring this way and that with awe.

"I believe it's one of the earrings Ginny gave Hermione for Christmas last year. This is perfect." Luna walked around in a circle for a moment before freezing, staying as perfectly still as a statue. She smiled as she placed the earring on the ground and took out her wand.

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing?"

"Watch. This replays the owner's actions within the last twenty-four hours."

Luna pointed her wand at the earring, holding her hand daintily out and murmured an incantation that Ron couldn't quite hear. The earring glowed a bright blue before returning to normal. Luna was staring at the ground before her and motioned for Ron to come closer. Ron's eyes widened as he saw a shadow on the ground that didn't belong to either him or Luna. It slowly pulled itself out of the ground and gave itself form. It glanced skyward and pulled out a wand- or at least the shape of a wand and a few moments later they watched as the wand fly out of her hands. Ron and Luna sidestepped the flying shadow wand, missing them by millimeters. It flew a certain distance before stopping and levitating in place. The wand slowly floated back and stopped shortly in front of Hermione.

She seemed to stiffen up and Ron and Luna watched as some sort of struggle seemed to be going on. Hermione's shadow leaned forward and kicked the air in front of her and darted away. Ron didn't hesitate to run after the shadow, his feet crunching against the wet gravel, not glancing back to see if Luna had chosen to follow him or not. But sure enough, he heard light steps not far behind him. He was now in the darker, gloomier area of Diagon Alley. Ron stopped at the entrance of Nocturn Alley, cursing when the Hermione shadow ran through it. Her shadow was now blending in with the darkness of the alley. Luna appeared beside him, silently motioning for him to follow her in.

Taking out her wand, she said in a loud, clear voice, _"Lumos Maximus."_

The alley was suddenly illuminated by a bright white light. They watched as the Hermione shadow seemed to shake with fear, making Ron's heart squeeze with guilt and worry. All of a sudden, it slumped forward in mid-air and disappeared right afterward.

"At least now we know for certain that Hermione has definitely been kidnapped," Luna murmured.

"Ugh!" Ron punched the brick wall of the alley, grimacing in stupidity as he stared down at his bloody fist. "This never would have happened if I had been there to walk her home. Every single day she worked, I was always there to walk her home. The one day I'm not there and she gets kidnapped. I'm such an _idiot_!"

Luna placed a hand on Ron's shoulder comfortingly. "I don't think anyone could have prevented this. Hermione's strong. I'm sure wherever she is she's giving her kidnapper the worst time of his life."

Ron allowed a smile to quirk at the side of his mouth. "Giving him hell is more like it. Probably got 'em cleaning their own house."

"There's something I'd like to try..." Luna said slow, reaching into her purse.

"Like what?"

"A _Summoning_ charm. I've never done it on a person but if there's a strong enough connection it's possible that I can bring Hermione back." She held the earring up to demonstrate. "If she's still wearing the other one, I think this might work."

Luna jumped in surprise when Ron placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her around wildly. "Luna you're a genius!"

She stared at him as if in a daze before smiling. "Well, I can't guarantee it will work but I'll give it my best shot."

* * *

><p>Hermione watched as Goyle magically infused metal bars onto the window she had previously escaped from. Goyle smirked at her through the bars as he finished binding them to the hut before stalking off out of sight. Hermione rolled her eyes and headed back to her bed. She laid on her back for a moment before rolling over so that her back was facing the window. She winced when she felt her stomach gurgling. She was hungry but the last thing she would do was ask either Draco or his goon for food. As soon as she got home, she solemnly swore she would buy herself everything off the menu from the nearest restaurant possible. Hermione wrapped her arms around her stomach to stifle the insistent growls.<p>

_'I could really go for one or two..._dozen _burgers right now.'_

Hermiome groaned quietly when she felt her stomach grumble angrily in protest. That idiot Draco. If he hadn't taken away her wand, she could have conjured up some food...Then again if he hadn't taken her wand away, she would have Disapparated herself back home by now. Hermione sighed as she turned over so that she was now lying on her back. She stared glumly at the ceiling. She sighed for the upteenth time it seemed that day. Her eyes widened when she glanced down and saw she was becoming transparent. A strong pull was being drawn from her navel. Someone was performing a _Summoning Charm_ on her. How brilliant of her friends!Hermione smiled widely. Perfect. Luna's work no doubt. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.

This would save her the trouble of having to sneak off in the middle of the night to try to steal Greg's wand. The sensation of becoming transparent was almost in a way...ticklish. It made her feel giddy all over again. That feeling was short-lived as the door to the hut opened and Hermione watched in horror as Draco walked in. _'No'_, her mind shouted! She wasn't even half-way _Summoned_ yet! Draco had looked weary as he stepped through the threshold with a tray of food. A look of surprise replaced it before it quickly manifested into an enraged scowl. He let the tray fall to the ground, shattering the plate to pieces.

"Oh, no you don't," Draco muttered. The skin around his mouth and eyes tightened fiercely. "Goyle get in here!"

He was on Hermione in seconds, making Hermione yelp in surprise as she tried to squirm away. Draco grabbed both of her arms and pinned them down against her sides, his legs pressing down on her own. Hermione screamed as she struggled to fight him off.

"Get off! Get _off_ me!"

Hermione jabbed her knee against his groin, causing him to groan and ease up on his grip. She had managed to pull herself up and began to crawl away, but Draco yanked her down by her ankle with enough force to make her come tumbling off the bed. He pinned her down on the floor once more, not looking away from her face even when Greg stumbled inside threshold. He tossed something at Draco that Hermione couldn't see since Draco's entire frame was obstructing her view. He caught it without glancing back and grasped Hermione's right ankle and clamped it on tightly. Hermione gasped at the coldness and realized that she was instantaneously returning to solid form.

"What is this?"

Draco wrenched himself off of her as if she had burned him, dusting himself off as he gave her a knowing look. "This is for all the trouble you have caused me and Alaric. This will cut off any connection whenever someone tries to _Summon_ you again. Also, if you try to touch either my or Greg's wands, you'll be scorched instantly by them. I said you would remain here until I say otherwise and I meant it." He bent down to her, his warm breath hovering over her ear. "Your friends think they're so smart...but I'm always one step ahead of them. Remember that."

He stood up and Hermione watched as a chain grew from the anklet and attached itself to the wooden bedpost. She pulled insolently on it, crying out in frustration as she whirled around to face Draco on her knees.

"You can't do this! You can't treat people like prisoners."

"How valid your statement would be if in fact..." Draco crouched in front of her and took hold of her chin, his thumb and forefinger pressing harshly into her cheekbones."I actually thought of you as a person that is."

"If only Alaric knew what you were doing. He would never let you get away with this. To think I stood up for you in sixth year," Hermione whispered, her caramel eyes meeting his stone gray ones. "When everyone else automatically assumed you would become a Death Eater, I always stuck my neck out for you and told everyone they were stupid for thinking so. But now I see I was the stupid one. Even though you were a fowl-mouthed git to me and my friends, I never thought you were entirely evil. I can see how very wrong I was."

Draco's eyes flashed. "Never assume you know me. Do you hear me?" Hermione cried out when he applied more pressure to his grip on her. "Do you understand?"

He abruptly let her go, shoving her away from him as he stood up, watching her silently for a few moments. She landed on her side with her back facing him, internally berating herself for showing the slightest bit of weakness around Draco. She was built stronger than that; no one not even Draco Malfoy could make the armor she always held around herself come crumbling down to nothing.

"Don't cry, Granger," Draco said coldly. He stared blankly at her. "I'm not Alaric. I won't fall prey to your tears. You think that because you're a woman, you will use everything to your advantage to gain sympathy. Now tell me, I'm truly curious, why do you cry?"

"I'm not crying," Hermione said brokenly as she slowly raised her head and turned it to meet his gaze. "...But I do feel sorry for you. And I haven't the slightest idea why."

Draco sneered. "You feel pity for me? I'm not the one bound up." He turned his back on her and faced Goyle. "Go stand guard outside. Prepare a meal of some kind and clean up this mess. I can't have the mudblood dying on me just yet. I need to tend to some business. I'll be back later today." He sneered at Hermione's pathetic form on the ground. "Keep a close watch on her, alright?"

"Yes, Draco."

"My name!" Hermione shouted, making Draco pause in the doorway. "My name is Hermione not mudblood! Use it! I think we're far past Granger and mudblood now."

Draco spun around and was in front of Hermione before she could even blink. He gripped her arm in his and turned it over. His thumb ran lightly over the faded word carved onto it: _mudblood_. Hermione's eyes widened and she tried to extract her arm but Draco forced her to look at it.

"Don't struggle," he murmured darkly. "Take a look at your arm. Your existence is engraved into your very_ flesh_." He pulled the sleeve of his shirt down and revealed the Dark Mark. "Now take a good long look at mine and tell me again what name you would like me to call you." He grimaced as he stared down at his own arm. "You'll find that some scars don't heal as well as others, Granger...but they make us who we are. Who we were born to be."

Hermione stared back at him in a mixture of horror and despair. She turned away from him, and all but sighed with relief when he got up to leave. He shut the door soundlessly behind him. Hermione slowly got up from the floor and climbed back onto the bed. She ran a finger gently over the scarred words scrawled across her flesh. Some scars really dont heal entirely, she mused. Still, she had lived with it for years and no else seemed to be aware of it or questioned it. Yet somehow Draco managed to notice it. It shouldn't have been such a surprise really...he did witness his aunt torture her endlessly in the Malfoy's parlor. She pressed her knees up to her chest, trying not to wonder if Draco was capable of such torture as well.

She stared wistfully at the barred window. Her friends would come for her without a doubt. She knew them. Right at this moment, they were working hard to bring her home, which meant that she had to work even harder to escape. There wasn't much she could do but wait for the right opportunity...and wait she would. She would escape this accursed island...no matter how long it took.

* * *

><p>Draco stood with his back to the door of the hut, his back ridged and fists clenched tightly at his sides. Somehow the little chit always managed to rattle his nerves. He stared at Greg out of the corner of his eye who was standing by, looking expectantly at him. Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, the mere small action seeming almost wearisome to do.<p>

"Look after her, Goyle. I want no mistakes. Check in on her often," Draco said severely, giving him a hard look. "Look at what almost happened. She nearly escaped. Off to tell Potter and Weazley what we've done. You have to realize that I took a big risk. If we get caught, it's Azkaban for us. I should think that you don't fancy the thought of receiving the_ Kiss_, now do you?"

At the mention of the_ Kiss_, Goyle's eyes widened and he turned deathly pale. He shook his head frantically and turned to walk off in the direction of the kitchen. He stopped shortly and turned around, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to visit my brother."

Greg frowned. "But isn't he...?" he trailed off as he realized his mistake. He turned crimson in shame and bit his lip, averting his gaze to the ground. "I'm- I'm really sorry, Draco."

"Just go do your job."

Draco presented him with his back and walked off into the jungle. He ducked several low branches covered in creepers and walked through knee deep foliage until he reached a slope that had a gentler carpet of grass. He stepped out of the canopy of trees and into the sun light. Draco walked across the ground littered with smooth white stones, the tides lapping at his ankles. A strong wind was blowing east, shifting Draco's flaxen hair back and forth. He seemed to pay no attention to this. His eyes were staring forward, a harsh determined light in them. They softened a bit when he reached Alaric's gravestone. He kneeled down in front of the hunk of marble. At it's center was a picture of Alaric. He smiled back at Draco, making Draco narrow his eyes and look away.

"Brother..." Draco murmured, his eyes downcast as if ashamed. He slowly glanced up at the picture once more. "There. I finally said it. You _are_ my brother and that never changed." He grimaced, feeling his shoulders hunch forward as if he had been struck. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I wasn't there when you needed me...but believe me," he said, his voice getting stronger. "I won't fail this time. That woman will pay for what she's done to you."

He swallowed, feeling his anger flare up at the thought of Hermione. He gave a bitter bark of a laugh. "I have to say that despite my nasty...relationship with her at Hogwarts, I thought she was a busybody goody-two-shoes." He snorted. "As it turns out, if she's clever enough in magic, she's twice as clever at seducing. You don't have to suffer or be in pain anymore, Alaric. A woman like her is a dime a dozen who has sure enough weaved a tricky web that men have fallen prey to plenty of times before."

Draco sneered. "Women succumb to temptation more easily and are willing to whore around to get their way." His face twisted with disgust. "I know you had the best judgement and good intentions, but this woman is no different than the rest of them. You just can't hope to find an angel within a harlot."

"She's gonna get what she deserves. An eye for an eye as the saying goes. I will make her suffer just as she made you suffer." Draco narrowed his stormy gray eyes, feeling the air shift around him dangerously. "I will _destroy_ her."

* * *

><p>Hermione sat on the bed with her knees pressed against her chest. Her chin was propped up on her knees with her arms wrapped around them. She sighed as she thought back to her previous moments with Draco. The worse was yet to come, she knew. Until then what would he have her do? Merely serve him until he drove her mad and eventually killed her as he had promised? Hermione frowned as she tugged hard at the chain on her ankle but to no avail. He would soon find that she would not be easy to kill. She stared at the new tray of food that Greg had just brought her. She really was incredibly hungry right now. She crossed the room and picked up the plate and glass of pumpking juice that had been left on the dusty chair in the corner of the room.<p>

Upon situating herself on the lovely, surprisingly soft Indian carpet, Hermione stared warily at the food in front of her. Surely, if Draco wanted her dead he would have killed her already so poisoning the food was definitely out of the question. Hermione picked at the salmon with her fork before cutting it primly with her knife and took a piece into her mouth. It was quite good. She tried the green beans, devouring them as she went. She was surprised she was being fed at all. Being captured usually meant starving the prisoner, didn't it? Not that she was complaining. She finished the food quickly and downed it with pumpkin juice.

She glanced around in boredom. Well, she supposed it would have been pushing it to have some form of entertainment like a book or something of the sort conveniently laying around for her. That was when it dawned on her. Draco had taken her bag along with her wand so she couldn't even dig through it to find her _Jane Eyre_ book or more importantly to find something in it that would help her get home. Hermione glanced tiredly around the small room. Greg chose that moment to walk in, surveying the room until his eyes fell on Hermione sitting on the floor.

"Finished eating?" he asked, all business.

Hermione rose quickly from the floor and gathered the plate and glass in her hands. She nodded and handed them to him. Just as he turned to leave, she reached out to stop him.

"Wait!" Goyle paused and turned around. "Do you- do you need any help cleaning up in the kitchen?"

He gave her a strange look. "I'm not supposed to let you out unless you need to use the lou."

"Well, what about dinner? I appreciate you making my lunch even though I'm it's your job anyway," Hermione explaining, knowing that she was rambling. "And uhh y-you seemed to enjoy the food I made for you earlier so I'd like to make dinner."

"Your help isn't needed. It's my job to take care of the food and cleaning unless Draco tells me I'm...not."

"Well, is there anything at all I can help you with? If I'm to be kept prisoner here, I should at least make use of myself."

"…You're really desperate, aren't you?"

"Honestly?...Yes." Hermione smiled when Greg managed to crack a grin. "Even though, you were a bully back at Hogwarts, I can't really see you as the guarding-a-prisoner type. How did Draco rope you into all this?"

"Well, it's a funny thing. I actually promised him I'd help him out in any given situa- He cut himself off midsentence and stared at her stupidly. "Wait a minute. Draco warned me about this. He said you try to use your feminine wiles on me." He jutted his chin out stubbornly. "W-well, it won't work on me."

Hermione laughed after a moment. "Feminine wiles? Did he really say that? Honestly, Goyle, for as long as you've known me, do I really come off as the temptress type of person Draco told you I was?"

"Th-that's true." Goyle looked pensive. "But- but Draco woudn't- he couldn't be wrong about this. He wouldn't go to such lengths if it wasn't true. Sorry, Granger but I promised Draco I'd help out with whatever he needed. My opinion of you doesn't really matter here. I'm here only for his sake."

"Tell me, do you always let him push you around?"

Greg looked astonished at her. "He does _not_ push me around. I'm my own man. I was the one who asked if I could help him not the other way around." He frowned at Hermione. "Look, I have to get back to work."

He slammed the door shut, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts. Great. Her last hope for conversation with another human being was gone. Now what? Wait for Draco to come back and torment her some more? Hermione tugged half-heartedly on her chain and stared out the window where a bird was fluttering around through the trees. It almost felt obscene watching the bird fly around completely free...unlike her. A sudden idea occurred to Hermione and a sly grin stole her features.

"Goyle! Goyle! I need to use the lou!"

A few moments later Goyle appeared at the door with a key in hand. Hermione smiled sweetly at him, trying not to give any reason for suspicion. He knelt down and placed the key into the iron anklet with a turn. It came off and he grabbed Hermione by the arm. She sighed in exasperation as she was dragged along for the billionth time that day.

"Why do you and Draco feel the need to drag me around everywhere? I can walk perfectly well on my own."

"Can't take any chances," Greg mumbled.

They stood in front of a small hut-like structure that was roughly the size of a port-a-potty if not bigger that stood just at the edge of the clearing.

"Go quickly. I'll come check on you if you're not out in five minutes."

He turned his back on her as he went back to kitchen. Hermione shut the door behind her. It really was much bigger on the inside. There was a large, porcelain bowl-shaped tub, a bronze framed mirror and sink. A cabinet was on its left. Hermione walked toward it and opened it to find it stocked with towels. She glanced around her, wondering how long Greg could be distracted with kitchen work long enough for her to escape. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione glimpse a bit of light from outside peering through the crack in the bottom of the bathroom. She got to her knees and began sifting through the leaves poking out from the edge of the wall beneath the cabinet.

It looked like whoever had made this restroom had either not been careful about sealing it up or it had been purposely left like this to allow said person using the restroom to breath. She dug and dug, feeling like a dog until she had made a large enough hole to squeeze into. Hermione laid down on her stomach and began squirming under it. She was out of breath before she was even half-way out. When she got home she was going to start doing some sit ups. She finally squeezed out through the other side and started running for all she was worth. If Draco was going to be tormenting her while she was here he must have some place on this island he was residing in.

Hopefully if he hadn't already gotten rid of her bag or destroyed her wand, she could still get out of here. She picked up her pace, nearly tripping as she went. Hermione made it through the foliage, running until she could hear the vivid sound of water flowing. She ran in that direction, stopping shortly as she reached the bank. A few yards away was a small waterfall with large smooth gray stones grounded firmly on top of it. It seemed like a path...that led to Draco? Maybe. Hermione leaped carefully from rock to rock, slipping on the last and landing hard on her arse. She cursed colorfully as she managed to leap onto the other side. Hermione noticed that a path had been cleared away and now a road of sand led straight ahead.

Hermione jogged across the length of it, glancing back once but she didn't see Greg following her. She turned a sharp corner, leap-frogging over a particularly large mushroom. Just what sort of island _was_ this to have mushrooms that large growing on it? Stumbling forward, Hermione realized she was now in an apple orchard. Far ahead was a villa and Hermione skirted the edge of the orchard, making a mad dash from tree to tree, feeling like some sort of ninja. Her salvation was waiting just ahead of her. She stopped to catch her breath upon reaching a tree near a mother-of-pearl fountain. At its center was a large silver serpent with emeralds for eyes spouting water from its mouth. Hermione couldn't held but roll her eyes at it as she walked past it.

As she headed up the marble stairs, she noticed the loveliness the villa offered but it was strangely not as large she would have thought a Malfoy would want. _'Not nearly big enough to suit Draco's ego'_, she thought dryly. She glanced all around her to make sure she hadn't been seen as she climbed the marble steps and reached the patio leading to the back entrance. She opened the glass doors and pushed them aside gently. She was expecting alarms of some sort but all was quiet. She walked out of what she supposed was the living room, not pausing to admire its grand splendor. Hermione silently creeped toward the other room which turned out to be the dining room.

She craned her head quickly into the kitchen and was relieved to find no one in there. She started down the hall. Now to find Draco's room. There were four rooms down the hall. She opened the door only to find it was a restroom, the other one seemed like a master bedroom, the bureau littered with elegant perfume in crystal bottles. A large portrait of Lucius and Narcissa hung imperiously over the king-sized bed. Hermione rolled her eyes at it and promptly closed the door. This was definitely not Draco's room. She tried the room across to find a room far less decorated than the one she had just seen. It held a single bed with thin white sheets along with a basin of water perched on top of the nightstand and a large chest at the foot of the bed.

Guest room perhaps? She closed it quietly and walked to the last room. Hermione cracked it open a bit more carefully this time in case Draco or anyone else was in the room. She walked in and walked around the room. She grinned when she saw her beaded bag on the highest book shelf. Getting on her tip-toes, it took her a couple of jumps before she was able to swipe it up. Inside was her make up, which would be only useless to her right now. Hermione found her address book, a box of mints, her _Jane Eyre_ novel, her cell phone (the battery had been taken out, of course) a brush, a notepad, pen, perfume and Germex. She gasped as her hand made contact with a small vial of belladonna. There was only half left but it might come in handy later.

She usually took it with her for nights that she struggled to sleep at Pansy's. It had been made to look like breath spray so as to not offend her. She deposited it into her bra for safe-keeping. There was nothing else in her bag that would be useful to her. If only Draco had been dumb enough to leave her wand around. Hermione groaned. There must be something in this room that could help her. She glanced at Draco's collection of books, seeing them range from classic wizarding books to dark arts. She didn't know of any transportation potions but maybe there was something just as useful she could find. She grabbed a book called Potions for Every Occassion and laid it out in front of her on the floor, reading quickly through the table of contents.

Hermione flipped to the middle and found a page listing for truth and persuasion potions. Right beneath Veratiserum there was one for persuasion. The instructions were simple enough. She grabbed her notepad and pen from her bag and hastily copied the ingredients down. She ripped it out, folding it over and over into a small square before she tucked it into her bra Glancing around the room one last time quickly for anything else that might help her, she noticed some soot by the edge of Draco's bed…it looked a lot like floo powder. The living room! She hadn't checked the parlor. If there was one that meant there was a fireplace which meant there was a way to get herself home! She ran out of the room, hurrying down the hall, stumbling breathlessly into the parlor.

She let out a whoop of joy as she rushed forward, her smile dropping instatntly when she saw there was no floo left. Only a pinch or so of it remained. The sound of a door slamming behind her made her turn around. Draco stood in the room, his eyes on the floor before they flicked up and finally noticed Hermione. His face twisted into a ferocious scowl.

"I did not think I would need to warn you twice about trying to escape in one day." His eyes flicked to the fireplace behind her and a slow smirk started on his face. "I don't use floo very often and even less now that you're here on this island. I can simply Disapparate out of here whenever I want so there's no need for it."

Hermione looked down in despair at the ground before her. Draco edged closer to her.

"Apparently you're a glutton for punishment, Granger. So restless on this island with nothing to do, hmm? Well...I'll give you something to do alright," Draco murmured darkly. He grabbed her upper arm and hauled her down the hall at a fast pace. He opened the door and pushed her inside. Hermione landed on her side, her hip smacking against the hard wood floor. She yelped as tried to move around, her body aching from all the abuse it had taken today. He tossed a moist rag at her. "Clean my doors, be thorough and quick about it."

Hermione glared at him. "Dream on it, you-

"As I said before, Granger, and I do loathe repeating myself, I do expect you to do _everything_ I tell you to do." He pulled his wand out and pointed it at her, narrowing his eyes into slits. "Unless you want to relive the night with my dear Auntie Bella, you had best get on with it."

He saw a nearby stool and kicked it lightly so it slid into place right in front of the glass balcony doors. He gave her a mocking bow as a show for her to graciously step onto it for him. Hermione slowly rose to her unsteady feet and walked over to the stool with the rag in hand. She stepped onto it, placing her hand along the wall to balance herself. She began wiping at the glass windows, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She leaned on the right of the stool to get a better angle to clean but found that the stool wobbled. Glancing down, she found that one of the stool's legs was missing. Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Draco who was standing by watching her expectantly as if nothing was amiss.

"Malfoy, there's no way I can clean like this." She rolled her eyes. "Get me a better chair."

"And who are you to be barking orders at me? I think the stool you're on is perfectly adequate. Now continue."

Hermione glared at him but turned around without protest as she continued cleaning the windows. There were thudding sounds somewhere down the hall and the bedroom door was slammed open to reveal a flushed Goyle. Draco arched an eyebrow at his friend's unruly appearance.

"Y-you found her," he said, stating the obvious.

"Yes, I thought I'd play a round of hide-and-seek with her. Now we're playing house together as you can see."

"Oh."

"Not, _'oh!'_, you idiot! I had_ just finished_ telling you to keep watch over her." The skin around Draco's eyes tightened and he stared meaningfully at Greg. "I need you to be reliable, Goyle. This is perhaps the most important thing I'll ever ask of you."

Greg nodded gravely. "I'm sorry, Draco. I'll keep a better watch on her from now."

"I don't want constant apologies, I want results. After I have her finish cleaning here, take her back to the hut. Watch her and don't let her leave anywhere without my permission while I get dinner ready."

_'Malfoy cooks?'_ Hermione nearly snorted at the idea. _'This I _have_ to see.'_

"Alright," Greg agreed, looking away awkwardly. "I'll erm be waiting in the living room."

Draco nodded his acquiescence as he left the room, turning his attention back to Hermione working on his glass doors. For a long time, only silence hung suspended in the air between them.

"Tell me, Granger...how did you do it?" Draco whispered.

Hermione's cleaning didn't falter even as she tried to keep her balance on the infernal wobbly stool.

"How did I do what?" she asked irritably.

"How did you manage to seduce my brother?"

Granger whirled around so fast that she nearly fell off the stool. She placed a hand flat against the wall to regain her balance as she gawked at Draco.

"I didn't."

"Maybe if he still had had rights to his fortune, you wouldn't have found him so common and left him for dead," Draco said bitterly.

Hermione said nothing at this, merely kept working. She could see his reflection in the glass, eyes that could stare straight into her soul without actually having to face her. She glanced down, feeling self-consious all of a sudden, wiping the glass beneath his reflection.

"This is a nice picture he took of you," Draco said, eyeing a photo he had taken out of his pocket. "He always had a talent for these things so it's no surprise. The rest of the pictures as you saw earlier, are gone now but I decided to keep one with me as a constant reminder of my goal. I wonder why he took those pictures, even this one among the shadows. He always said he yearned for the sunlight," he said, his voice distant as if he wasn't really talking to Hermione anymore. "And that I yearned for the moonlight. I told him long before to be careful with his sunlight. If he were to stand too long out in the sun…it would blind him."

It was strange how suddenly Hermione could feel all of his attention suddenly back on her again. She could feel his eyes on the nape of her neck and she couldn't think of a thing to say to him. No matter what it didn't seem like he would listen to her even if she tried explaining herself again. How she wished there was a way to prove her innocence.

"Hurry up and finish. Tomorrow the real work begins. I'm gonna work you to the bone. Think you can handle it?"

"I _will_ go home, Malfoy," Hermione murmured loud enough for him to hear, without turning around. "Doesn't matter what I have to do."

"Is that a sugarcoated euphemism for a death threat, Granger. Well, it certainly seems like you're adding to the body count."

Hermione leaped off the chair, hand raised to slap him a good one. As always, Draco used his Seeker-like reflexes to stop her just in time, her hand just centimeters away from his face. He had her wrist in a bone-crushing grip. He tugged on it, bringing her closer to him. They were now nose to nose, glaring into each other's faces.

"Got under your skin, did I?" he taunted, his breath puffing against her ear.

Hermione managed to yank her wrist out of his grip, though she had an anxious feeling he had _let_ her pull free.

"That's enough cleaning for today." Draco stood up, placing a pensive hand on his chin. "You know what? I don't feel like cooking much and you've already had at least one meal today. This will be your punishment for trying to escape again. Let's go. Hurry up and follow unless you want me to bind up your wrists and ankles and carry you back to the hut myself," Draco commanded, cocking his head for Hermione to follow. Hermione stared down at the floor, unable to look him in the eye as she followed him hesitantly out of the room.

* * *

><p>Draco walked toward the hut, opened the door and jerking his thumb inside. "Grab some clothes and go wash up."<p>

He left the hut without another word, leaving Hermione to hover over her selection of clothing. Hermione supposed it didn't really matter what she would wear. It's not like she wanted to actually impress anyone on this godforsaken island. Hermione grabbed a pink tank top with white Indian-styled capris, bra and knickers, hugging them to her chest as she left the hut only to find Draco waiting right outside. She could feel Draco's eyes on her back as she shuffled inside the restroom. She shut the door behind and closed the latch. Hermione sighed as she glanced at her surroundings. She knelt in front of the tub and turned on the tap to lukewarm water.

As she waited for it to fill up, she started brushing her teeth in front of the mirror since she hadn't gotten a chance to do so earlier. She glanced around for the floss but found there was none. Hermione glanced twice back at the locked door. Nothing could really stop Draco or Goyle from barging in here at any minute. She hoped they at least had the decency to let her bathe in private. She quickly undressed and stepped into the tub, unable to soothe her worries what with her constantly glancing at the door. Once she was done, Hermione walked back to her small one-roomed house, hearing Draco's boots crunch on the leaves silently behind her. She opened the door to the house and just as she went to shut the door behind her, Draco's hand shot out to stop her. Hermione whirled around to face him, eyes wide with fear.

"Aren't we forgetting something?"

Hermione rose an eyebrow, staring uncertainly back at him. Draco walked over to the bed and held up the chain. Hermione groaned internally. Draco beckoned for her to come closer. She reluctantly went to sit on the edge of the bed. He knelt down in front of her and clamped the iron anklet onto her ankle, securing it with his key. He stuck it back into his pocket, half-turning away from her as he got up.

"You're gonna be up bright and early tomorrow, Granger."

"Someone will notice I'm gone soon."

"Of course they will. The light of their lives gone. How will they not notice, especially the Weazel?"

"Quit mocking me." Hermione gave him a flat stare. "I'll see you behind bars soon."

"Not likely, Granger, not likely. Not if everything goes according to plan, which I believe will."

"This isn't going to look good for you and your mother. I know you've both been trying hard to regain society's respect after the war ended." Hermione raised her chin as she stared levelly at him, empathizing with him. "Why're you trying to undo all the hard work you've done? You've come so far. Why're you throwing it all away?"

Draco seemed taken aback for a moment before narrowing his eyes at her.

"It doesn't concern you. This is something I have to do."

Hermione rose up from the bed, standing just two feet way from him- about as far as the chain would allow her to move. Her gaze rested on his collarbone, unable to meet the soul-searching eyes she had seen earlier.

"Say, you really were entirely wrong about me killing your brother. That you had got the wrong person…what would you do?"

"Simple." He shrugged. "I would kill you, bury your body somewhere on this island and go find the real whore who ended my brother's life." Hermione's eyes widened in fright and backed away from him. "Well, I'd certainly have to kill you either way."

He turned his back on her without another word and shut the door behind him. Hermione felt her heart pounding fiercely against her ribcage. She got the belladonna and list of ingredients from within the bundle of clothes she had worn earlier and placed them far back under her bed for safekeeping. Hermione wasn't feeling sleepy at all but what else was there to do than to sleep while she could and be prepared for whatever Draco had in store for her. She laid down on the bed, slipping a blanket over herself and hugged a throw pillow to her chest. Though, her eyes remained closed for the longest time, sleep evaded her cunningly. Hermione thought of Ron's sweet smile, the feel of his hand in hers...the countless times they had kissed.

It brought tears to Hermione's eyes all over again. Even if she could get off of this island, she didn't think she could face him again. At least not without asking him for another chance together. Hermione shook her head and pressed her face against her pillow. Ron had made it clear he was no longer in love with her. She would have to just settle with being his friend- with being able to be a part of his life at all. But no matter how much she said it was enough, it really wasn't at all. All she could remember was that one special night she had spent with Ron after War and the celebration following it had finally concluded.

_Hermione was lying down on her side, staring intently into Ron's eyes. He smiled at her, holding the back of his head in one hand as he sat up on his elbow. They kissed chastely as Hermione pressed a hand to Ron's chest and w__rapped an arm around Ron's neck. He was holding her by the waist, pressing his forehead against hers. Their legs lay tangled together, the stark contrast between Hermione's banana yellow pajama bottoms and Ron's bright blue ones._

_Hermione shyly looked down. "Was it wicked of me to sneak into your room?"_

_"It was," Ron said, grinning. "But I'm not complaining. If you had given me a chance, I would've snuck into yours."_

_Hermione laughed lightly. "I met Harry on my way to your room. Said he was going down for a midnight snack. Right after, Ginny came out of her room saying she wanted a glass of water..." At the look Ron gave her, she touched his face with endearment. "Calm down, Harry has only ever had the most noble intentions with Ginny and now that the War is over, they deserve to finally be together. So tell me, now that everything has finally been said and done, h__ow do you think things will be now that we've graduated from Hogwarts? I'm worried you, Harry and I will just part ways."_

_Ron chuckled, shaking his head. "Now _that_ is impossible, 'Mione. We're sticking together, for better or for worse. I'm hoping for the better though."_

_"Promise?"_

_Ron kissed her gently. "I wouldn't lie to you." He sighed deeply. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this."_

_"This?"_

_"You. Me. Finally together after everything we've been through. Lying together like this." Ron tucked his chin on top of her head, taking in her wonderful scent. "You've given me so much to be happy for just by being here with me. _

_"I wanna stay like this with you, Ron." _Hermione whispered, leaning her head against his chest, listening to the steady beating of his heart._ _

_"Always."_

_"..Or until your mum walks in."_

_Ron groaned. "Don't say that." He ducked his head quickly and kissed the pulse at her neck._

_Hermione giggled. "Stop, that tickles!"_

_"Sheesh, I'm trying to be romantic here and you're all laughs." Ron scowled._

_"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Hermione smiled at him. "But don't you think we should be heading to sleep now? It's awfully late."_

_"I'm not tired," Ron murmured, brushing her curls back from her face. "Actually, I've never been more awake. Let's go for a night ride on my broom."_

_Hermione winced. "You know I don't like flying."_

_"You'll learn to love it. Someday you'll be a natural."_

_"...I'll let you teach me how to properly fly a broom if you let me teach you to drive a car."_

_"Sure, no problem."_

_Hermione gave him a dry look. "That _isn't_ magically-enhanced, Ronald."  
><em>

_"Uhh..." Ron's face fell slightly. "Fine. How hard could it be? You just sit and press on the pedal thing, right?"_

_"We'll take it one step at a time. I have my driver's manual at my parents' house."_

_He rolled over suddenly so that he was lying half on top of her, imprisoning her with both of his arms. "We'll make plans later. Right now...I want to kiss you properly."_

_Hermione eyes widened as she stared up at his serious face. Her hands slowly reached up to cup his cheeks as he started to lean in. Their lips made contact, making Hermione's heart flutter and her stomach constrict in a way that should have been painful but felt unbelievably wonderful. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him closer. Ron angled his head the other way, deepening the kiss somewhat as his hand tangled in Hermione's mane of hair. Hermione ran her hands soothingly over Ron's lanky back as she got lost in their kiss. Ron pulled back from the kiss to get a bit of air before diving back in and devouring her lips with ardor, holding one of her wrists to his chest. _

_"I love you, Mione," he said breathlessly in between kisses. His hand touched her cheek tenderly, thumb caressing the skin beneath her eye. "I don't want to get carried away with my feelings," he said, blushing fiercely. "I mean I understand if I feel more strongly about you then you do about me but even then-_

_Hermione raised a finger to his lips, effectively silencing his rambling. "You talk to much," she said, a smile quirking at her lips. She sat up, holding the hand that had been caressing her face and interlaced her fingers with his. "And you're wrong if you think you're alone in these feelings. Entirely wrong." She bent her head down and pressed her forehead against their hands. "I love you, Ronald Bilius Weazley." Although, she couldn't see his face, she felt him stiffen up and could just picture him wincing at his middle name. Hermione giggled softly as she raised her head to look him square in the eyes. "I hope the thought gives you peace of mind. And I'll take your words to heart for if it's all just a dream..." she whispered, her voice quivering with unease. "I hope I never wake."_

_Ronald looked at her with the eyes of a besotted man and a smile found its way to his lips. He leaned in until their foreheads were touching. They both closed their eyes, so lost in the moment._

_"You know...I'd be really sad if you never woke up," Ron murmured, cradling the back of her head as he gently eased her back into their previous position, careful not to crush her beneath him. "What would I do then?"_

_The brunette's eyes remained closed and her body was completely still beneath his. "If I should never wake..." she trailed off. _

_"Yes?" __Ron kissed both of her eyelids, lightly rubbing his nose against hers. __"Should I kiss you? Like in that muggle story you mentioned once?"_

_"No...no. Because that's just a fairy tale, nothing ever comes that easy."_

_"Then what should I do?" He kissed the crown of her head._

_"If I should never wake, think of me on occasion and remember all the good instead of the bad."_

_Ron was suddenly right by her ear. "Wake up for me, Hermione."_

_Hermione's eyes sprang open upon feeling his warm breath blowing into her ear only to find Ron now lying next to her now. _

_"I'll think of you now, I'll think of you always. When I'm with you, it's always a special occasion." Ron stared lovingly at her, his thumb tracing her lips. "We are not a dream. If you don't wake up with a kiss, wake with my voice and I'll _always_ bring you back to this- to _our_ reality. Much better than any dream my subconsious or even your brilliant one could ever hold. I'll never have you feeling alone...that's why I'm gonna get you a promise ring."_

_Hermione's widened as she sat up on both elbows. "Ron, you don't have to do that."_

_"I want to," he said stubbornly. "I may not be the richest bloke out there but I'll get you one because you, Hermione, are worth it."_

_Hermione felt her cheeks heat up at the look of intense longing in his eyes. "I'll get you one too, then. What are we promising to?"_

_Ron sat up, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That we'll remain faithful to each other and that no matter how big of a fight we have, we'll always get back together."_

_Hermione sat up as well and kissed him. "I can agree to that. You never need to wonder whether or not I'm faithful to you. Even if we fight, which I'm sure we will with _your_ temper," Hermione giggled. "...I'll help you see the error of your ways."_

_Ron rolled his eyes. "It's not always going to be my fault."  
><em>

_"Let's not get into that right now," Hermione said against his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck. Ron deepened the kiss, his hands resting against her waist, clenching against her tank top every now and then. He tugged her down so that they were laying down once again, this time with her half on top of him. Hermione sighed against his lips, plastering her mouth against his hungrily as if this were their last kiss._

_Quite reluctantly, Ron pulled away. "The things you do to me, 'Mione." He chuckled. "We should get some sleep. I'll wake you up before the sun rises so we can sneak you back into Ginny's room before my mum notices."_

_"Alright. I love you, Ron, goodnight." With one final peck on the lips, Hermione turned on her side. She felt the quilt settled over them and Ron's arm wrapped around her waist, murmuring his love against her neck. She could feel his heart beating rythmically against her back. So strongly she almost couldn't tell if it was hers or his anymore after a few moments. So soothing it was that it managed to lull her right to sleep._

Hermione felt tears streaming down her cheeks at the memory. A heart-wrenching sob escaped her lips and she pressed her face back into the pillows to smother it. It's true that nothing lasts forever. Not a human life, not a promise...not even love. She thought of Alaric who had ended his own life and of Draco who wrongly accused her of being his murderer. She remembered meeting Alaric the summer before her sixth year. She had mistaken him for an ordinary guy and for a long time following their meeting had thought that he was merely a normal muggle.

_It was just another ordinary day as Hermione enjoying yet another afternoon of jogging through the woods behind her house, feeling pumped by the music blaring from her earphones. She panted heavily, briskly tying her overgrown hair back from her face with a scrunchie after it became too much of annoyance. The woods went on for several acres and most of the time she never stopped running through the trail until she reached the very end. Her goal was to keep going all the way without stopping until she reached the edge of pond. She nearly collapsed from exhaustion once she made it to the bank, removing her jacket only to tie it around her waist. She paused to sit on a fallen log to catch her breath. Hermione took a swig from her water bottle, tilting her head up to enjoy the brief sunlight England allowed once in a while_

_Her eyes strayed from the sky to stare across the pond. They widened as large as saucers when she saw she wasn't alone. As if in a trance, she slowly rose to her feet when she saw a boy perched on a boulder in the center of the large pond. One knee was drawn up to his chest while the other hung limply over the side._

_"Who are you?"_

_The boy seemed startled, nearly losing his balance. He turned to glare daggers at her over his shoulder. "I could ask you the same thing."_

_"Why are you answering a question with a question?" Hermione teased, wiping the sweat from her forehead. _

_The boy jumped down from the boulder, hopping from rock to rock until he reached Hermione. He was easily several inches taller than her with short cropped dark locks in a disarray and saphiric blue eyes. He was light-complected with a mouth so dark it looked like all the blood had gone to his lips. He had a sharp, angular face with a long straight nose. Hermione couldn't help but think his face matched that of someone who belonged with nobility but his clothes said otherwise. Yet there was also a wildness about him as if he belonged among the scenery. _

_"Just taking pictures," he said, holding up his camera as if to restablish his claim. _

_Hermione eyes fell on his backpack and his clothes. They looked like he'd rolled around in dirt for quite some time. _

_"...Are you a runaway?" she asked hesitantly, testing the waters._

_"I'm a drifter. Have been for a couple of months. And aren't we the nosy one?" He scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets._

_Hermione smiled sheepishly. "Can't help but be a little concerned. Sorry, when I saw you from the back I thought you might have been a friend of mine." She shook her head. "My mistake. I'll just be going now."_

_The boy looked alarmed. "No, no wait. Don't go." He cleared his throat, righting himself. "If you wanna stay you can stay."_

_Hermione nodded and sat down on a moss-covered log. "What's your name?"_

_"Alaric Ma..." Alaric trailed off, looking quite torn. "I go by Alaric Ashwood now."_

_Hermione smiled sympathetically. "I'm Hermione Granger. How old are you, Alaric?"_

_Alaric appeared hesistant. "...Fifteen. Why do you want to know?" He tried to appear smug but Hermione couldn't help but think it looked somewhat forced. "Trying to find out if I'm old enough for you to jump my bones?"_

_Hermione rolled your eyes. "You're quite charming, you know that?"_

_"I've been told on occassion," he said, sitting down next to her at a respectable distance. "And how old are _you_?"_

_"Sixteen."_

_Alaric nodded in approval. "Brilliant. I fancy older women."_

_"Oh, come on. It's a one year age difference." Hermione gave him a dry look. "I'm hardly what you would call a cougar."_

_Alaric laughed, finding the whole idea hysterical. "You're quite interesting, Granger."_

_Hermione froze for a moment. "What?"_

_"What, what?" Alaric furrowed his brows in confusion, his tone lightly playful._

_"You...nothing." Hermione shook her head. "You reminded me of someone else when you said my name."_

_"Your boyfriend?"_

_"Don't have one."  
><em>

_"There a bloke you like?" Alaric pointed at her face, smirking in satisfaction after studying her face carefully. "That smile. Aha! Of course there is."_

_Hermione chuckled. "He doesn't have the slightest clue how I feel about him, though." She stared down at her trainers glumly. "At least he's never voiced his opinion on the matter."_

_"Wanna see a picture of my girlfriend?"_

_"Random." Hermione blinked. "But sure, why not."_

_She had a feeling he had changed the subject so quickly to spare her feelings but maybe she was just reading too much into this boy. Alaric slipped off an silver coin-shaped locket from around his neck and held it out for Hermione to take. The front design had the sun in gold and the moon in pearl merged into one. She carefully opened the locket to find a carrot-topped girl with a pixie cut and hazel eyes as well as a sprinkle of freckles on the bridge of her nose. _

_"She's pretty."_

_"My parents never approved of Hero." He smiled a bittersweet smile into the distance. "Not good enough for them and certainly not good enough for me," he said, his every word oozing with sarcasm. "They don't know how special Hero is. She's my first love, that she is. Took me a whole year before I grew a pair and asked her out."_

_"Hero. That's an interesting name." Hermione closed the locket and handed it back to him. "Is it from that Shakespearean play, _Much Ado About Nothing_?"_

_Alaric snapped his fingers. "Right on the mark. You read Shakespeare?"_

_"I do. Shakespeare's plays are where my parents found my name and their parents found their names. My father is named Benvolio but goes by Ben. Obviously from _Romeo and Juliet_ while my mother," Hermione said. "...was named Cordelia from _King Lear _but prefers simply Delia."_

_"Ironic. Both of their parents into Shakespeare?"_

_"Well, my grandparents on my father's side were Shakespearean scholars while my mother's side were romance novelists." Hermione chuckled. "Yet somehow both my parents became dentists."_

_Alaric made a face. "Benvolio. Who wants to walk around with the name of a tragic character? Being named after one is a tragedy itself. Might as well be named Cornholio." This sent Hermione into a fit of giggles. Alaric leaped onto the log, balancing himself with cat-like poise and grinned down at Hermione. He turned to star off into the distance, looking quite sure of himself. "I will not become a tragic character. I'm gonna continue traveling around the country, get a well-paying job and then someday when we're both old enough, I'll ask Hero to marry me." _

_Hermione stared speechlessly for a long moment. "How can you do that?"_

_"Do what?" Alaric asked, hopping down from the log and sitting down once more.  
><em>

_"Live with that kind of passion and confidence? Aren't you scared of being out in the world alone?"_

_"I'll admit I was terrified when my father threw me out but then things started looking up." Alaric smiled. "I realized I was finally liberated from my responsibilities. I no longer had to live up to my father's expectations so now I'm free to do what I want with my life. I'm not scared anymore. Even though I have no family and no money to my name, I've never been more relaxed. I have my girl, Hero. That's all I'll ever need."_

_"How long have you been together?"_

_"Six months. Yeah, I know. Forever in teenage years," he said sarcastically. "Everyone always acts so surprised when they ask me how long I've been with my girlfriend. I guess no one really gets how much a person can really love someone until they finally meet the right one themselves."_

From that day on, they met everyday during the summer, concealing their friendship from everyone. Hermione didn't want her parents thinking she was off dating a random boy off the streets when really she was simply hanging out with a friend...who just happened to have been kicked out of his home. Hermione brought him food often and it wasn't too long before Hermione was able to situate him with a job. With the war going on, she couldn't return the next summer and hadn't seen him until he had shown up in Pansy's home about six months ago. That's when the surprise was revealed that he was actually a pure-blooded wizard who worked as an artist for a living.

Sometimes whenever Hermione wasn't working or Alaric wasn't out with Pansy, they would occasionally have lunch together at a muggle joint and catch up on old times. Hermione's eyes stung, closing them tightly to stop the next fall of tears. Now they'd never be able to go back to the way they once were. From here on, life was going to be a fierce struggle.

**A/N: I am loving writing this story more and more. Hope you readers feel the same way. Please R/R for a quick update. I appreciate all the Favorite and Story Alerts, you guys, but the only thing motivating me to keep on going with this story is you guys. By the way, if anyone was wondering Lamia is the daughter of the goddess Hecate. The story of Lamia goes that Hera cursed her with stillborn children because of Lamia's association with Zeus; alternatively, Hera slew all but one of Lamia's children in anger after discovering that Lamia had slept with her husband, Zeus. The grief caused Lamia to turn into a monster that took revenge on mothers by stealing their children and devouring them. Lamia had a vicious sexual appetite that matched her cannabalistic appetite for children. She was notorious for being a vampire spirit and sucking men's blood. **


	3. Slave and Toil Away

_"All of this is all that I can take and you could never understand the demons I have faced. So go ahead and bat your eyes and lie right to the world. For what everything you are, you're just a little girl. I never meant for you to feel this way. The Decembers were never meant to be our graves. It's not a question of who was right and who was wrong and what is right, but time cannot heal what you cannot recognize." - Just a Little Girl ~ Trading Yesterday_

**Cracked Armor**

_Chapter 3: __Cinderella with a Dark Twist_

* * *

><p>"Get up, mudblood!" Hermione was startled out of her sleep when the covers were abruptly ripped away from her. She jolted upright only to find Draco's towering form hovering beside her. He had a sarcastic look on his face as he held the blanket in one tightly clenched fist. "Rise and shine," Draco said mockingly. He let it slip out of his fingers, falling soundlessly onto the lush carpeted floor. "From now on you're gonna have to start <em>earning<em> your meals."

When Hermione simply stared at him as if he'd gone mad, Draco roughly grabbed her by the thighs and dragged her toward him until her bum reached the edge of the bed much to Hermione's indignation. She drowsily watched the top of his platinum-colored head as he knelt down in front of her and began unlocking the chain from the thick iron anklet. Once he pocketed the skull-headed key, Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the tiki hut, his boots crunching loudly against the fallen leaves and pebbles. Hermione winced at his hold on her, clamping her hand over his in hopes of getting him to ease his grip. Draco stopped in front of the port-a-potty sized structure. He slammed the door open and shoved Hermione inside, watching with satisfaction as her back slammed between the tub and the sharp edge of the wall. She cried out upon impact, her hand immediately flying to her nurse her abused back.

"Wash up first. Take more than ten minutes in there, Granger and I'll drag you out myself," Draco snarled.

Hermione flinched when the door slammed close, leaving her entirely alone for the moment. She gave the door Draco had just walked out of a look of pure hate before rising unsteadily to her feet. She locked the latch and turned to face the sink and bronze-framed mirror, staring at her awful bed head, dark purple half-moons beneath her bloodshot eyes. Without a doubt, she looked horrible and it was obvious from just looking that she had been crying for most of the night. She grabbed a bar of soap sitting on a metal flute tray and began rubbing it against her hands, adding water to them before she massaged her soapy hands against her face, once again splashing her face with water. Hermione grabbed a nearby towel, padding her face down with it. She inspected herself, not liking what she saw at all.

She grabbed the pink tooth brush she supposed was meant for her and started brushing her teeth, staring glumly at her reflection in the mirror. She had never really looked at herself before. Hermione usually was in such a hurry to get to work or to Pansy's that she didn't bother to check her appearance for more than a quick glance. She had never been one to linger in front of the mirror either way. Hermione frowned. She had never stopped to consider whether she herself thought she was beautiful or not. During her Hogwarts years, she had gone through an awkward phase but by the time fifth year rolled around, she had outgrown it. Her hair wasn't bushy like it once was and no more buckteeth, but if you take those things away. Was she really considered beautiful?

Hermione stared hard at herself as if the answer would present itself to her if she stared long enough. At least while she was in here she could forget where she was for a few minutes- pretend it was all a bad dream and that she was back at home getting ready to go visit her mother. Hermione bit her lip as she thought of her frail mother sick in bed. What was she going to do? Every week, she always brought her that packet of powdered herbs for her to drink. Without them her mother would be in agonizing pain. Hermione washed her mouth quickly closed her eyes in anguish as she fell to her knees. There had to be a way for her to get off this island before the week was out.

She rose to her feet and proceeded to splash her face with water, patting it dry with a hand towel. With a heavy heart, she stood in front of the securely latched door and left the cubicle. No sooner that was outside that Draco appeared beside her and began dragging her into the woods. Hermione's heart sped into overdrive as she recalled him saying he would kill her and bury her somewhere on the island. She began struggling against his tugs to which he responded by twisting her wrist around painfully. Draco spun around to face her with a most fearsome expression.

"What the hell are you struggling for?"

"You're gonna rip my arm out of its socket, Malfoy!" Hermione huffed. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What exactly are you having me do at this hour? The sun hasn't even come out yet."

Draco sneered at her. "Very observant of you. How funny, you seem like you would be the early bird type." He jerked his head. "If you don't want to be dragged along, follow me quickly."

"What are we going to do?"

"Not we, you." Draco lifted a tree branch up for Hermione and she saw they were in a much larger clearing. Nothing but dirt and patches of weeds here and there. The outer edges of the oval-like clearing was surrounded by electric blue tropical flowers. In the very center of the clearing was a gnarled white ash tree. Its branches were curled downward as if beckoning them forward. There was a large gap in the roots that led to the hollow of the tree. A ring of mushrooms surrounded the trunk of it. Hermione could see some fire flies winking in and out of view, their green light mesmoring her for a moment.

"Hurry up. Don't stand there and gawk all day."

Hermione was able to duck in time before the branch smacked into her face. She glared daggers at Draco's back as she followed him into the clearing. Draco took out his wand and mumbled a spell. A large package of fertiliser, a watering can and a spade appeared beside them. Hermione eyed Draco's wand. She had dismissed taking his entirely over getting Goyle's, thinking that she wouldn't be compatible with his. But she had been able to use Bellatrix's wand before; both of them couldn't have been more different. Even if her hands would get scorched upon touching either Goyle or Draco's wands, maybe if she wore a glove she could cast a spell long enough to get her home. Hermione averted her eyes immediately from Draco's wand as soon as he turned his attention back to her. His cold gray eyes swirled with such hate. He tossed something at her feet that took Hermione a moment to realize were packets of seeds.

"Get to work, Granger. I want every inch of this land covered in those seeds. Every day you will tend to them."

"Why should I? Tell me, honestly, if I do any of this, will it lessen your hatred toward me?" Hermione demanded to know, hands resting firmly on her hips.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "Not even close, mudblood. Not even close. You are doing this for the simple reason being that I am telling you to." He paused for a moment. "And because you are a mudblood," he said off-handedly. He climbed up onto the tree and perched on it, looking down at the world as if sitting on top of a pedestal. "How fitting isn't it, for you to be working among your own kind- mud. Get to it. If you don't slack off, you may be finished today and earn your first meal.

Hermione stared sleepily down at the packets of seeds for a moment, rubbing her eyes before reaching down and grabbing them. There was scarcely any light but she could see enough to recognize the labels of the packets thanks to the glow of the fireflies. There were packets of lettuce, carrots, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, and squash. She put them in her pocket for the time being, feeling Draco's eyes shift at her every movement. She got down on her knees, sprinkling the fertilizer as she went, constantly switching from her knees to side crab-walking. She dropped the bag a few times, making the fertilizer overflow. Cursing under her breath, she didn't linger over the mess too long before moving on.

* * *

><p>"No sign of her?" Harry asked though, he already knew the answer by the downtrodden looks on Ron and Luna's faces. He stumbled inside the Burrow, drenched from the heavy downpour, followed by Ginny and Neville who were equally as soaked to the bone as he was. He removed his rains-splattered to clean them with the hem of his shirt, revealing bloodshot eyes and dark half-moons below his eyes. The Weasley family stared at the gang solemnly as they entered the living room. Molly was wringing her hands together, worry lines leaving deep creases on her forehead.<p>

"I'm afraid not," Luna murmured quietly when no one spoke up. "But, we did have a lead. This." She stood up from her arm chair and deposited something into Ginny's hand. "The gift you gave Hermione. I was able to do a time reversing event spell and it seems that she has indeed been kidnapped. By who, I can't be sure."

Ginny's eyes widened in horror as she stared down at the familiar earring. "Oh, Merlin," she choked out. She fell back into a cushioned chair in disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes.

Ron walked into the room, looking like he hadn't gotten any sleep. He was still wearing the same clothes from the day before and he had bed hair. "We were so close to getting her back," Ron murmured, crossing his arms over his chest. He avoided eye contact with anyone. "Luna tried a Summoning Charm."

"And?" Harry pressed, taking off his cloak and hanging it on the coatrack. Neville followed suit, taking a spot on the couch.

"Something suddenly blocked my spell." A thoughtful, worried crease appeared between Luna's fair, thin eyebrows. "It was almost as if she had just vanished. As if she had an invisibility cloak on her or something of the sort," she said.

"Could it be...the Occultus Captus anklet," Ginny mumbled as she stared at the carpeted floor in front of her. She was sitting closest to the fire, her red dripping hair shimmering from the glare of the flames.

"What?" Ron furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, a little irritated that she knew something he didn't.

"That was sixth year, Ron, honestly." Ginny scoffed, rolling her eyes, now sitting straight up in her chair. "It was brilliant of Luna to track Hermione by using her earring, which means that it's possible that she must still have the other one in possession. The only thing that could possibly be messing with the spell is having the Occultus Captus anklet on her. It makes you completely undetectable to magic. It was said to have been used during previous wizarding wars. When people were kept captive, they were considered war spoils and had them wear these iron anklets to keep them from running away or being rescued. Unfortunately, we didn't get far enough into that lesson to learn of a way to counteract it. By then, Voldemort had reigned over the Wizarding World. When we returned to further our education at Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts was suspended for my seventh year. No one wanted to take the job."

"It sounds vaguely familiar," Harry said, looking quite frustrated. He stood behind Ginny's chair with his back to her, his long lanky frame leaning against it. "We should consult McGonagle. She's our best bet. Luna, since you are the spell expert, why don't you come with me to visit McGonagle while the three of you go to Hermione's? We'll see if we can can counteract the anklet's barrier and perform a stronger_ Summoning Charm_ while you guys look around for anything suspicious."

"Suspicious like what?" Neville piped up, helping himself to one of Molly's cookies.

"Anything that suggests there might have been a struggle or that someone had been watching Hermione through the use of the Dark Arts. Don't hesitate to owl me if you find anything." Harry glanced at the Weazley clan and nodded. He leaned around the sofa chair and kissed Ginny on the cheek, staring imploringly into her brown eyes. "Be careful. Don't do anything reckless. We don't know what we're up against so best be on your guard."

Before Ginny had a chance to reply, Harry had already Disappparated. Ginny glanced at Ron reproachfully. "Well, you're the one that goes over there most of the time. Think you can manage to lead the way without splinching any of us?" she asked snidely.

Ron winced at the memory and scowled. "Only if you can try not to be so hostile with me. Both of you, hold onto my arms."

* * *

><p>Hermione panted quietly, feeling her mouth reaching far beyond the point of being parched. Over half of the clearing had been covered with individual rows of fertilizer already and it wasn't even mid-day yet. The sun was scorching high above her and she still hadn't received so much as a drink of water. She glanced behind her at Draco who was still perched on the ash tree, looking on in fascination as he took a couple of swigs from his bottle.<p>

"Malfoy, I've been at this all morning." She stared up at him tiredly and more than just a little irritated as she sat back on her haunches. It grated on her nerves how satisfied he must have felt looking down on her. "Aren't I entitled to at least a drink?"

Draco assessed her work with a quick sweep of his gaze. "Finish up...and only then will you have earned your first meal of the day and some water."

Hermione leaped to her feet with a glare that would have frightened the manliest of men. "I'm dehydrating here and you just sit there in your tree looking for all the world to see! I know I'm entitled to at least a drink."

"You want a drink that bad, Granger?" A slow smirk started creeping across Draco's lips. "Alright. Drink to your heart's delight." He threw his flask down at Hermione who clumbsily caught it, missing the smug look on his face. She unplugged the stopper and didn't hesitate to down it in eager gulps. Her mouth widened as she tasted something strong- stronger than she could handle. Without thinking twice about it, she spit it all out, coughing as she hastily wiped it from her mouth. "What's wrong? Doesn't suit your taste?" Draco asked with mock concern.

Hermione glared at him. "This is Fire Whiskey! Merlin, you're horrible. Give me some water, you prick."

"What's the magic word, Granger?" Malfoy asked amused, throwing her previous question back in her face.

"Go to hell," Hermione said through clenched teeth, impatiently blowing a curl out of her face.

"Like if I've never heard that one." Draco comfortably leaned back against a branch with both arms tucked behind his head. "Hurry up and get back to work already. You're wasting daylight and my valuable time."

Hermione stewed as she turned her back on him and resumed sprinkling the seeds onto the fertilizer. Her hand shook a bit as she tried to regain some moisture back in her mouth. The ground in front of her was starting to look blurred and abstract. With a small groan, she felt the floor tilt beneath her and her body made contact with the ground. The last thing thing she saw before she passed out entirely was Draco leaping off of the tree and making a mad dash for her.

Draco stood over her fallen form with a look of uncertainty."Hey...mudblood. Is this a trick to get out of work?"

He nudged her side lightly with the toe of his boot but got no response. He crouched down for a closer look, taking her wrist in hand for a pulse point. It was beating steadily. Draco sighed in exasperation as he slipped his arms beneath her back and behind her knees. He hefted her off the ground in one easy pull, and began stalking back onto the path he had led Hermione through earlier. The tiki hut soon came into view and an aroma of grilled meat quickly surrounded the area. Draco turned and briefly acknowledged Goyle cooking in the outdoors mess-like hall kitchen. As if sensing another presence nearby, Greg glanced around him until he spotted Draco walking purposefully across the large expanse of the clearing with Hermione in his arms. His eyes bulged as he staggered over to him, having some trouble keeping up with Draco's long strides.

"What happened?"

"The idiot got dehyrated. Go get some water."

Greg nodded. "Yes, I'm on it."

Draco reached the door of the tiki hut, and managed to balance Hermione in his arms as he opened it. He eased her down onto her bed and pulled up a chair beside her, watching expressionlessly as her chest rose and fell with each labored breath. Draco dangled his forearms between his knees as he studied her homely appearance . The woman was an utter and complete mess. Her hair was frizzing like crazy and her clothes and face were smudged with dirt. She shifted a bit in her sleep and her clenched fist loosened up to reveal the calluses on her palm. Draco raised an eyebrow at this. Surely, all those weren't just from today's work. Greg stumbled through the threshold, dropping water as he went. As soon as he was within arm's distance, Draco stood up and took the glass of water from him.

"Thanks," Draco muttered. He sat on the other side of the bed and lifted Hermione's body up by the waist, his shoulder nudging her head up as he pressed the glass of water to her lips. "Drink up, mudblood. You were bitching and moaning about it earlier, weren't you? Well, then, have at it."

At first the water dribbled down the side of her mouth but after a few moments, she started swallowing bit by bit. Her eyebrows were fixed in concentration as if the action took up all of her strength. Hermione reached out and took the glass of water from his hand and greedily swallowed the rest of it. She moved her head up, eyes widening when her eyes locked with Draco's steady gray gaze. She frantically tried to move away from him but a wave of dizziness soon overcame her. Draco steadied her shoulders with both hands.

"Take it easy. Can't have you dying on me so soon."

Hermione pushed herself away from him so that she could lie down. Her back was facing him and her face was twisted into a deep frown. Like this it could almost seem like there was a wall being separating them- an even bigger one than the one that already existed between them. Draco glanced at Greg who was waiting by the door expectantly for the next order.

"Greg, go get a large pitcher of water and prepare a big lunch."

"Right away."

Greg ran off, leaving the both of them in silence.

"What? I won't even receive a thank you?" Draco asked sarcastically. "Right now, I am treating you with more concern than I would normally allow myself. Be grateful you have a pureblood like me to look after you. Or else where would you be?"

"At home," Hermione answered instantly. "Right now...I would be curled up in front of the fire reading a book with Crookshanks sitting on my lap."

Draco snorted. "That overgrown hairball? Isn't that thing dead yet? That's not exactly anyones' idea of a good time."

"It's _my_ idea of a good time. Or I could be sitting on the roof of my flat while looking up at the stars. That's where you got your name, wasn't it? A star constellation?"

"...Yes, not that it is any of your business."

"Your family is quite a fan of constellations."

"No need to state the obvious and is this your idea of conversation, Granger?" Draco sneered as he leaned over her.

Hermione sighed. "For the moment I suppose...I can just pretend that we're not on an island god knows where and that maybe we're sitting together at The Three Broomsticks, having a butterbeer while catching up about our school days." She bit her lip as her eyes glazed over. "I can pretend that I've forgiven you for all your cruelty and you have forgiven me for being born what I am and what I always will be...a muggleborn."

Draco was silent for a moment. "For the record, I'd never be out in public with a woman like you. Tasteless with no appeal at all." He smirked. "I wonder what Weazelbee ever saw in you. Or Potter for that matter. You were shagging them both, am I right?"

"...You can't hurt me what those kinds of things anymore. If you really want to hurt me, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that." Hermione closed her eyes and imagined her small, cozy flat. Her friends. Her family. Crookshanks.

Draco grabbed her shoulder forcefully so that she was now lying flat on her back. He leaned over her, one of his hands placed flat by her head, hinges squeaking slightly underneath them.

"That sounds like an invitation, Granger." Hermione felt him shift his weight on the bed so that he wasn't putting all his weight on her. "At least now you can focus all your attention on redemption."

"...Liar," Hermione murmured, staring back unflinchingly. "Even if I give you my blood and sweat...there's no way you'd ever forgive me even if I've done no wrong."

Draco was nose to nose with her, every line on his face sharpening ten-fold. "Finally, it seems we understand each other."

Hermione glared. "Understanding you would mean trying to get inside that warped mind of yours. I don't think I'd come out the same if I tried that."

Draco's hand came up to hold her cheek, and ran his thumb lightly against her jaw line. Hermione suddenly became all too aware of their closeness, stiffening up when Draco pressed his forehead against hers.

"Just look at you. You're covered entirely in dirt. Looks like being a mudblood isn't just what's inside but also out."

"What you see isn't always what you get, Malfoy," Hermione whispered, trying not to give into her urge to shrink away from him lest she reveal she was slightly intimidated by him.

"Here you go, Draco! Bloody hell..." Greg screeched to a halt upon witnessing their position, gawking openly like a deer caught in the headlights. Draco irritably glanced over his shoulder before pulling away from Hermione. "I'll just umm...set it down here," he mumbled, placing a pitcher of water on the nightstand.

"Pour another glass, Greg, would you?"

Greg nodded, taking the glass in hand and filled it up half way. He handed it to Draco who forced Hermione's hand over it in a tight hold.

"I'm preparing lunch just like you said. Shout if you need me."

Draco nodded as Greg left the hut, shutting the door behind him. Draco stood up from the bed and walked toward the foot of it, shrugging his hands into his pockets.

"Since you're not fit to work today, I'll be away today on business." Draco glanced over his shoulder and glared at her. "If I hear from Greg that you've been giving him a hard time, I will take care of you myself."

"Wait." Hermione weakly lifted herself up to her elbows. "Just tell me this much."

Draco raised an eyebrow, indicating that he chose to acknowledge her at all.

"...Do you really mean what you said yesterday? About killing me if you got the wrong girl then and going after the girl who really did it?

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "I never say things I don't mean."

Hermione's face twisted up in anguish. "So nothing changes in the end. If it's not me you're cruel to, some other girl will suffer your wrath."

"Hm. That about sums it up."

He slammed the door behind him, leaving Hermione alone in her room. She draped the blanket over her body, feeling cold despite the warmth radiating from her lone barred window.

_'Pansy,'_ Hermione thought miserably._ 'I'll endure for you. After everything you've done for me, this is the least I can do for you. I won't let him hurt you. I'll shoulder this torture as long as I must.'_

* * *

><p>"Clean and proper," Ginny said, sweeping her gaze around the modest but homey room. "Just like our Hermione. Though, it wouldn't hurt if she tried redecorating a bit."<p>

Ron scowled at her. "Will you quit fooling around? Do I have to remind you what we're here for?"

"Alright, then, don't get your knickers in a twist." Ginny wrinkled her brow. "You and Luna were here yesterday, how come you guys didn't detect anything strange?"

"When we got here, we thought it best to keep watch from the roof. I really doubt we'll find any leads here. Everything looks the same as it always does."

"Can one of you turn on a light or something?" Neville asked nervously. "It feels weird talking to you guys in the dark."

"Hold on a sec."

Ron's hand laid flat against the wall, moving lazily as he sought the muggle light switch. His hand made contact with it and he flipped it upward. Frowning, he tried it again when it failed to illuminate. A few more times and he gave up. Murmuring a _Lumos Maximus_, he turned the bluish light of his wand around the room to see where his sister and friend were. Ginny stood near the fireplace while Neville was keeping himself steady against a wall.

"Why isn't her light working?" Ginny asked quietly as she stared at the many pictures of Hermione with her family and friends on the mantle. She murmured her own _Lumos Maximus_ and Neville followed suit, staring curiously at the potted flowers that were lined in front of a curtained window that they hadn't noticed earlier with them being in the dark and all.

"I'm not sure."

Ron took a few steps toward her, stopping when he heard the sound of crinkling paper at his feet. He bent down, the light of his wand bent precariously over it. A muddy trainer print was splattered over it but he could clearly see a list of items like water, electricity etc. His brows drew together with concern. Ron remembered Hermione telling him about the moutain of bills she had to pay. Skimming over the contents on the paper, he could see all the numbers had added up to a very large sum. It was likely that Hermione hadn't been able to meet this month's payment. Ron leaned heavily against the wall, placing his hand at his forehead as he bowed his head, letting the paper fall to floor. He had always offered to help her pay them off but she had always rejected his help.

"Hey, Ron," Neville said, holding up one of the potted plants. "I've read about a rare plant that can pull people into other dimensions. You wouldn't happen to know if Hermione bought any strange plants like that, would you?"

"How the bloody hell should I know? I'm not a fucking Hermione expert!" Ron growled, running both hands through his hair and holding his head in agitation. "I don't know what she buys or doesn't buy when I'm not around."

Ginny shot him a dirty look. "Neville's only trying to help. And you _should_ be a Hermione expert. She _was_ your girlfriend, after all." She gave him a knowing look as she moved to cross the other side of the room, her wand held out in front of her. It was almost like she enjoyed twisting the knife deeper into his side. Ron glared daggers into her back as she walked by him. Ginny strolled into the kitchen, whistling as she took everything in. "It's absolutely spotless. You can literally eat off the floor."

She said something else that Ron couldn't hear or couldn't care enough to try to hear as he skulked out of the kitchen. He made his way down the carpeted hallway to Hermione's room. He hesitated as his hand touched the cold doorknob before opening the door entirely. The bed was neatly made and there was a sweet scent permeating the room that was very much Hermione. It was a scent he knew like the back of his hand. Honeysuckle. He ran his hand along the polished red mahogany bureau, staring at the pictures of the whole gang stuck into the corners of Hermione's silver rose wreath mirror. Ron spotted one of him and Hermione, smiling softly at the memory. He had his arm around her but instead of staring at the camera, he was looking ardently right at Hermione.

Everything had been near perfection before Hermione started taking on those extra jobs. By the way Hermione had sounded, she wouldn't quit any of them no matter what and the jobs would be long-lasting. And Ron couldn't help but want to be selfish. She was his girlfriend, of course he'd like to see more of her. It was so rare that he did. They had had near break ups before in the past but had always quickly reconciled. This time it was doubtful that they would get back together. It didn't matter anyway because Hermione had enough on her plate without having to worry about pleasing him. At least this way, she could be more focused on other things. Ron hesitated as his hand hovered over her gold heart-shaped jewlery box. He flipped the gold lid up carefully and instantly a familiar sweet tune started playing.

Ron found the promise ring he had given her once. He wore his own around his neck to show that he never regretted what he used to have with Hermione, though he thought he'd be sensitive enough to tuck into his shirt whenever she was around. He sat on the edge of Hermione bed, running his hand over the soft baby blue and white checkered comforter they had been picked out together. He scooted further up the bed until he reached the headboard. Slowly, hesitantly, he laid back against the large plush pillows, arms perfectly still at his side. It was like seeing through Hermione's perspective. If he glanced up, he could the enchanted night sky on her ceiling, a shooting star buzzing over his head, leaving stardust in its wake. On his left, he could see Hermione's closet door was wide open. Her collection of self-sewn stuffed animals were visible. There was quite a variety of animals but in the very center a large lion sat in the middle, its amber eyes gazing back at Ron.

A smiled quirked up on one side of his lips. He had won that for Hermione at a muggle carnival. He had never tried so hard to win something his entire life before. After many failed attempts and cash forked over, Ron proudly presented Hermione with the lion. The joy he had seen in her eyes that day had been well worth the effort. On his right was sheer white curtains billowing against the gentle wind. At the window sill, there were red, yellow, pink and white roses. Ron remembered Hermione saying they comforted her because they reminded her of her grandmother's home in the country side. Straight ahead was the mirror. Ron smiled a bit at the thought of a groggy Hermione waking up to her bed-headed reflection. The thought also sent a pang in his heart. He rolled onto his side, seeing another picture of him and Hermione.

He was standing behind Hermione with his arms around her waist as she sat on the ledge of a bridge in Romania. He gripped a pillow tightly, hugging it to his chest, Hermione's scent invading his senses. He felt tears prickling in his eyes. What if something had happened to her? What if they were already too late? Unbeknownst to him, Ginny creaked the door open to Hermione's room, stopping short when she was Ron on Hermione's bed. She could his body visibly shaking as he sobbed into Hermione's pillow. Her frown softened as she watched her older brother cry for a moment. She had been hard on him, not realizing or caring that Hermione's disappearance would affect Ron the most. Closing her eyes, she closed the bedroom door quietly. She would give him this much, Ginny decided, as she padded down the hallway to join Neville once more in search of anything suspicious within Hermione's home.

* * *

><p>"I leave her with you, then, Greg. I'll be back tomorrow. I have some business I need to take care of."<p>

"You mean on the island of-

"Yes, that one," Draco snapped. He jerked his chin sharply at the door. "Make sure she gets plenty of water. And I don't think I need to repeat myself of your other duties."

Greg swallowed. "No...you don't. I can handle things just fine on my own." At a wary look from Draco, he added, "I- I promise. Really."

"Good. I'll only be gone a day. The girl is as frail as a newborn kitten right now. She can hardly move around much less cause trouble for you." Draco glanced around him as if he was trying to remember anything else important he should remind Greg about.

Greg's eyes widened. "Draco, while we're on the subject, the only things I know how to cook are very few besides those instant packages you gave me. I don't see why I can't just do it with magic."

"Not everything can be solved with magic. You'll have to learn how to make do without magic sometimes. It teaches you self-reliance. You may find yourself in a situation where you don't have your wand, what are you going to do then?"

Greg blinked. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Well, then. I'll owl you tonight to ask how things are fairing."

Draco Disapparated with an earpopping crack, leaving Greg staring at the spot his friend has just been standing. He turned to look reluctantly over his shoulder at Hermione's door, before heaving a sigh and cracked it open. He poked his head inside to find Hermione lying down in bed with an arm draped over her eyes, breathing so steadily, it hardly looked like she was breathing at all.

"You awake?"

"Yes, Goyle." Hermione sighed without looking up to acknowledge him.

"You were calling me Greg just yesterday," Greg said mockingly cheerful, walking over to the nightstand to fetch the pitcher of water and proceeded to pour a glass for her.

"Well, you and Malfoy insist on using my last name...as well as other obscenities," Hermione murmured, removing her arm from her eyes and finally looked at Greg. "So calling you both by your last names is civil enough I think."

Greg, beginning to feel a bit awkward said, "Draco will be gone for the day," even though he was sure Draco must have mentioned it to her before leaving.

"Forgive me if I don't exactly miss him." Hermione chuckled bitterly. "So where's the scoundrel gone off to? I assume not to Azkaban to turn himself in or to church in order to repent?"

"Watch your bloody mouth," Greg spat, dropping the glass of water he held. It smashed upon contact with the floor, exploding in a shower of glass shards. "You don't know anything about Draco. You don't know what kind of life he's led."

"Just as he's never bothered to know anything about me." Hermione tried to sit up but gave up after a few pathetic attempts. Her mouth twisted into a fierce scowl of annoyance. "Goyle, just because he comes from a long line of purebloods, that does not excuse him for all that he's done."

Greg glared at her as he cleaned up the mess with his wand. "Maybe someday Draco will explain everything to you himself."

"I'd like that very much. I'd also wish he'd see reason." She turned her head in Greg's direction, staring beseechingly into his eyes. "I didn't kill anyone, Goyle."

Greg parked himself on a chair by the bed and transfigured a new glass of water, holding it out as a silent offering. When she turned her head away, Greg sighed impatiently, motioning the glass closer for her to take.

"You have to stay hydrated, Granger. Draco will murder me if he finds out I haven't been taking care of you. I've already been doing a lousy job at it as it is."

"I don't need taking care."

"You and Draco have that much in common at least," Greg muttered, setting the glass down on the nightstand.

Hermione's eyes widened at this but chose not to comment. "Honestly, can't Malfoy just use his _Legillimency_ on me. I'm sure he must have learned it from his mother. And what about Veritaserum?"

"While Draco has been offered to learn_ Legillimency_ he never showed much interest in it. And I guess I would agree. I mean I wouldn't fancy the idea of peeping into someone's mind anymore than someone peeping into mine. There are things called boundaries, you know. As for Veritaserum, Draco is also aware that you frequently drink immunity potions."

Greg silently waved his wand and a yellow manilla folder dropped down beside Hermione. She blinked at it for a moment before picking it up and looking through its contents. It was her file.

"How on earth did your master manage to snatch my file from the Ministry records?" Hermione demanded to know.

"That's not important," Greg said quickly, going shifty-eyed. "The point is your record claims you've mastered _Occulemcy_.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You've got to be joking. I can easily just let the bastard inside my head and show him or someone skilled with Legillimency I'm telling the truth."

"Or change your thoughts to make yourself look innocent." Greg looked awfully smug as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's so like Draco to think ahead."

Hermione snapped the folder shut and placed it back down on the bed. "What else do you two goons know about me?"

"You are attending a muggle type of univerisity instead of pursuing a career in the wizarding world."

"Correction: was. Not anymore. What else you got?"

"Working three separate jobs. One at Flourish and Blotts, one at a muggle cafe and the third is unknown."

_'Plan on keeping it that way,'_ Hermione thought.

"Alright..." she said slowly, letting the information sink in. "That still doesn't explain why Draco thinks that Alaric and I were ever romantically involved with each other. All he has are a few very vague implications in some letters and pictures Alaric took of me when he asked me to model for him."

Greg waved his wand and several newspapers dropped down softly onto the manilla folder.

Hermione gawked at the newspapers. "What is this? **Hermione Has Another Man on the Side? Miss Granger Danger**? **Hermione: The Homewrecker**?"

"All the articles involving your love life."

Hermione kicked them to the floor angrily. "Did either of you bother to notice that each of these bloody articles were written by Rita Skeeter?"

Greg blinked. "Your point being?"

"Anyone who knows her well enough, knows that most of her stories are fabricated piles of dragon dung! The woman couldn't write about the truth if her life depended on it!" Hermione dropped her head back against the pillow suddenly; the shouting making her go weak.

"Pictures don't lie. See? Here's one with Potter's tongue down your throat in some dirty alley," Greg said casually as if he was merely commenting about the weather.

"Goyle, photos can be manipulated, you know? As if I would kiss Harry! He's like my brother and I'd never do anything to hurt Ron or Ginny. I honestly wish you and Malfoy could have better opinions of me."

"It doesn't really matter what I think. I trust Draco's instincts. Anyway, it's time you were fed." A tray of food appeared in front of Hermione, the pillows beneath her thickening so that she was now able to sit up enough to eat her food.

Hermione smiled wearily. "Thank you."

"I'm just doing my job," Greg said gruffly.

She stared down at the salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. "This looks delicious. But what about you? Have you eaten?"

Greg's eyes bugged out, obviously taken aback by her concern. "I'll eat when I'm good and ready. Just mind your own business," he retorted.

"Here. Why don't you have the first bite as my taste tester?" Hermione busily cut a large piece of steak with her knife and fork and held it out to Greg, looking quite amused. "I wanna see if the food tastes as good as it looks. I was impressed by the last few meals I've received."

Greg thought about it for a few seconds before grabbing the fork from her and shoved the steak into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "It's good. Well, of course, it's good. I made it," he scoffed as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but was unable to suppress a laugh. "You and Malfoy share such a large ego. Well, my turn to taste." She cut another piece for herself and hummed with delight as the steak slid down her throat. "It's divine. Where did you learn how to cook?"

"I'm actually still learning. I only know how to do a handful of different kinds of food and of course, basic stuff. Draco taught me." He hesitated for a moment, glancing up at her for a second before quickly averting his gaze. "Well, I'd better get a headstart on my own meal."

"Goyle..." Hermione started. "Why don't you eat with me? I'm sure we could both use the company. At least until Draco comes back."

Greg shook his head before she had even gotten half way into her sentence. "I'm fine, thanks," he said tightly before leaving the room.

Hermione sighed as she picked at her food for a moment, gathering a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. At least she had the day off from the reign of Draco. Perhaps if she slept the day away, she would wake up back in her own bed. But if this nightmare persisted she wouldn't know what to do.

_"If you never wake up..."_

Hermione smiled sadly at the bittersweet memory, untucking her locket from her blouse. She opened it to reveal her curl of hair as well as a strip of Ron's ginger hair. On the right side was a clock with tiny time pieces scattered all over it like tiny gold stars. Each hour was marked with a charm hanging from each individual number. Hermione stroked the number that marked her first kiss with Ron- the twelth hour had Hufflepuff's goblet. Each hour had its own song that would last a minute each. This song playing was by Bach, one of her favorite classical musicians. Hermione closed her eyes, letting the song sweep over her like a saccharine caress.

* * *

><p>Harry and Luna walked side by side down the halls of Hogwarts. Students of all houses gaped at them as they walked by, most particularly at Harry. Several bumped into walls and some girls actually tried to send him flirtatious looks but all were either ignored or Harry was simply oblivious to such things. From a clear range of her peripherals, Luna could clearly see a boy- more than likely a first year tailing them. He had curly brown hair and pale skin with robes that were clearly too large for him. He stepped on the hem of his trousers, nearly tripping a few times before regaining his balance and continuing to follow Harry and Luna like a lost puppy. A large book was pressed against his chest with both arms wrapped around it protectively. Luna nudged Harry's shoulder and he quirked his head up with a questioning look.<p>

"Harry, look."

Said man stopped in his tracks, causing the young boy behind him to smack face-first against Harry's back. He tumbled backward onto his hindquarters, his large book knocking the wind out of him. Harry glanced at Luna quickly in a panic before his hand shot out and clasped the boy's hand tightly in his. He tugged him onto his feet in one pull. He knelt down and helped the boy dust himself off

"You alright?"

The boy nodded mutely, staring at Harry wide-eyed with his hazel orbs. "Yes, sir. Umm...but." He tugged on the end of his tie nervously. "I was just wondering if you could sign my book."

"Call me Harry and sure, why not." The boy offered him the book shyly. Upon realizing which book he was holding, a large smiled plastered onto Harry's face. "_Hogwarts: A History._ How nostalgic. What's your name? What would you like me to write?"

"It's Robbie. Robbie Wood. And you can write anything you like, sir," the boy chirped, excitement apparent by his trembling form. "I- I mean, Harry."

"Alright. Any relation to Oliver Wood by any chance?" Robbie nodded vigorously to which Harry smiled. He checked his person for a quill. "Umm...either of you have a quill I could borrow?"

Luna nodded and plucked her raven feathered quill from behind her ear, hidden beneath her hair. "It's my favorite writing utensil."

"Thanks." Harry turned back to the book, tapping the quill pensively against his chin for a moment before ultimately deciding what he should write. "How does this sound? _To Robbie: Congratulations on making it to Gryffindor House. Prepare to have the most unforgettable seven years of your life. I can tell you're a smart and promising student who has the potential to become the next smartest wizard of your age, right behind war heroine Hermione Granger._"

Robbie's eyes lit up. "Wow. I'm actually being compared to Hermione Granger by Harry. Will you tell Hermione that I admire her a lot. She- she's my first crush." His cheeks were tinged a bright red at his admission.

"Sure thing." Harry grinned down at him, closing the book and offering it back.

He gave him a parting hair ruffle before turning to leave with Luna in toe. They turned a corner, surrounded by stone walls and suits of armor on either side, and nothing but the sounds of their shoes echoing through the hall. They soon reached the familiar winged statue that led them straight to the Headmistress' office.

"What's the password again?" Harry asked, looking at Luna.

"Lemon sherbert." They watched as the statue revealed a spiral of stairs. "I should have brought her some of that instead. I brought her toffee."

"It's fine. She likes that too." Harry chuckled as they got onto the staircase.

"What?" Luna looked at him sideways.

"Nothing." Harry tried not to laugh.

"Tell me," Luna insisted gently with a dreamy smile.

Harry smirked. "I was gonna say maybe we should have brought McGonagle some catnip as well."

Luna smiled, inclining her head a few times slowly . "Interesting suggestion."

Harry gave her a look of horror. "Luna, I was just kidding."

"So I was I. Sort of." Luna gave him a coy grin before stepping off of the staircase.

They now stood before McGonagle's door, anticipation rolling off of them in waves. They exchanged knowing glances before Harry reached out and knocked on the Headmistress's door twice. There was a sound of footsteps and rustling of clothing before a voice shouted loud and clear.

"Who goes there?"

"Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter," Luna chirped, hands clasped behind her as she hopped on the balls of her heels.

It was silent for a few moments before the door was unlocked and McGonagle stood before them, staring at them appraisingly in that regal way she had always had about her. A slow smile started at her much aged face, a familiar light entering her blue eyes.

"Mr. Potter and Miss Lovegood, my it's been quite a while since your last visit. Come in."

Harry smiled. "It's good to be back."

They stepped through the threshold, glancing at their surroundings. Everything was just the way it had been left six years ago. Harry felt a pleasant kind of nostalgia overcome him.

"Have a seat. Would you both care for some tea?"

"No, no thank you," Harry said, sitting down in one of the red cushioned chairs in front of the large desk that once belonged to Dumbeldore.

"I'd like some." Luna sat in the chair beside Harry's. She crossed one leg over the other, cupping her hands together to rest on her lap.

"Alright." Minerva pointed her wand at a red kettle, levitating it over a mother-of-pearl tea cup, gently pouring some jasmine tea into it. The tea cup floated over to Luna who held both hands out to hold it securely. She sniffed it slowly, a smile of pure delight unfurled across her lips.

"Thank you." She took a sip. "My, that's delicious. Oh! Before I forget..." Luna rifled through her purse and took out a package, which she set down on Minerva's desk. "We brought you some toffee."

"Thank you, Miss Lovegood." Minerva smiled briefly, before turning to go sit at her desk. "What can I help you with? You both seem troubled."

"Actually, Professor, the thing is Hermione has gone missing."

Minerva's smile waned into a soft frown. "Has she now?"

"Yes, she's been missing for the past two days. Ginny had called Hermione to ask if she was still coming to her birthday but she never showed. We tried contacting her and going to her house but nothing. We even sent a search party. We finally got a lead when Luna used a _Summoning_ spell on Hermione with an earring she found of hers at the scene of her kidnapping. She seemed to have gotten a connection for a while but then it was suddenly severed. Ginny believes it might be from an _Occultus Captus_ anklet. The only problem is that we don't know how to track Hermione with this thing on her."

"My," Minerva said, a bit breathlessly, her eyebrows arched high in astonishment. "That is...quite a lot to take in."

"Do you know of a counterspell for this, Professor?" Harry asked, leaning in, eyes betraying his desperation for an answer.

"As long as the anklet remains on her, the barrier will be impenetrable." McGonagle took a sip of her tea, staring at them over the brim of her cup.

Harry slumped forward, deep in thought. "We need something to track her down. We want to find her quickly before we cause unnecessary worry for Hermione's parents. Her mother is-

"Ill, yes, Hermione said as much on her last visit." Minerva sighed, clasping her hands in front of her. "Just one person doing a _Summoning_ for this will not be strong enough. You will need five capable wizards or witches to perform it together. Use the item used during your previous _Summoning_ charm but this time the earring must be turned to iron. That is what the Occultus Captus anklet was made of. Centuries ago, it was originally invented to capture Fae creatures. It was the only magical object capable of doing so since it was iron- the ultimate weakness of the Fae. That's why the earring must be iron. In order to counterattack it, it must be made of the same material. But." She held her hand up, staring at them cautiously. "It cannot merely be transfigured. Also each person needs to have something of Hermione's to make a strong connection.

"Alright so we need five items that belong to Hermione, including her earring. And what else?" Luna asked, taking out a notepad to jot down a list of items.

"You will be needing a wand made of the same type of wood as Miss Granger's wand. The items need to be cleansed within unicorn blood and frozen." At the looks of shock she received, she said, "We are dealing with dark magic here so of course the ritual is quite complicated. The earring is to be placed in a mixture of lavender oil and holy water for a day and be left undisturbed until the unicorn blood melts away. It will melt away completely under the light of the next full moon exactly a month from now."

"A month?" Harry asked in disbelief. He shook his head, running his hand through his unruly bangs, unveiling his scar. "Professor, we need to do this as soon as possible. Hermione's life could be in danger."

McGonagle nodded. "I understand, Potter. We all would not wish any harm to befall Miss Granger but this is the only way in all my years of knowing magic that a way to break through an _Occultus Captus_ anklet. For now gather everything I've told you so that you will be prepared for when the next full moon comes."

"Wait, where can we get the unicorn's blood?" Harry felt sick just asking about it.

"The Forbidden Forest, of course." McGonagle handed him a vial the size of his forefinger as well as a smaller vial with a clear potion substance. "Use this to temporarily sedate the poor creature and be quick about it. If the Ministry gets a hold of this, there will no living with them."

Harry winced. "I think we'll save this for last." He gave McGonagle a grateful look. "Thank you, Professor, you've been a great help."

"You will do well to remember to keep your wits about you. If done wrong, you will have to start all over again with the ritual."

* * *

><p>"Miss me, Granger?" Draco asked.<p>

"Did a whole day go by already?" Hermione asked mockingly. "Felt like I was on vacation there for a while."

"I _certainly_ missed _you_," Draco said, a devious smile quirking up one side of his mouth. He looked positively evil. He now stood beside her bed, dressed casually as usual. It was a rather different look than the constant dark business attire he wore before he kidnapped her. She was sure he just woke up wearing those suits. "Come closer."

Hermione gave him a heated look for a long moment before reluctantly sliding to the edge of the bed. Draco kneeled down in front of her as it seems it would become routine from now on. His head was down, one hand on her ankle while he sifted through his pocket for the key. Hermione watched the top of his platinum-haired head with disinterest, wishing she could jab her elbow against it. Hard. She felt a small joy in feeling the iron anklet fall away from her, twisting her ankle around in a relaxed manner as Draco rose to his feet.

"Let's go."

"What are you going to have me do today?"

"Just hurry up." Draco opened the door, looking impatiently at her. When he made a sudden movement to grab her, Hermione slapped his hand away and walked past him. "Follow me, then," he said tersely.

Hermione followed a yard behind him- what she felt was a relatively safe distance.

"Greg told me he fed you well enough," Draco said conversationally as he led her through the trees, keeping a steady pace.

Instead of answering right away, Hermione became distracted by the many white camelia trees they were walking through. The petals rained down on them like gentle snow. Hermione plucked one off a low branch as they passed a large aging tree. She held it delicately in both hands, unable to help the smile that graced her lips. These were her mother's favorite; the kind her father got her for every birthday and anniversary. Draco didn't seem to notice or pretended not to as he continued to walk onward. Hermione twirled the flower around and around by the stem between two fingers. Her heart clenched at the thought of her mother lying sick in bed, unable to go outside to at least enjoy the warm sun on her face.

"Yes, he was very hospitable," Hermione said, amiably enough.

"Don't get comfortable now," Draco warned. "He's been my friend since before Hogwarts. The only one he's loyal to here is me. You would do well to remember that."

"Of course," Hermione agreed, sarcasm dripping from her tone. She took a long, strong whiff of her flower before letting the wind blow it out of her hands. The only comfort she had in her mother's well-being was that she knew that her father was taking good care of her mother in her absense. That and the locket Ron had given her, hidden carefully under her blouse resting just above her chest.

They soon reached a familiar stream and Hermione realized that they were headed in the direction of Draco's villa. Draco leaped from one flat stone to the next until he reached the other side of the bend. He motioned impatiently for her to cross. She stepped onto each stone swiftly enough before she slipped on the last stone, getting one foot caught in the stream. Before she could get pulled away, Draco grabbed her by the elbow and lifted her toward him. Hermione half stumbled onto the bend, hands flaying out to steady herself against Draco's chest. Upon realizing their closeness, he quickly held her away at arm's length, sneering in disgust before whipping around to begin trudging down a path.

Hermione jogged after him, following him quietly during the whole walk to the villa. Upon reaching it, Hermione sat down on the bottom marble step, giving herself a bit of time to rest. Draco was on the top step, looking down at her with unbridled distaste. His broad shoulders were tense and his fists were held rigidly at his sides.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "What, out of breath already?"

"You were walking quite fast back there." Hermione panted, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Forgive me, if I had no choice but to sprint after you. Let's just get this over with. What sort of shitty job do you want me to do today?"

"Eager, I see. I like that," Draco said silkily. He appeared beside her, holding a bucket out for her to take. "See that barrel right there?" Hermione turned to look where he was pointing to see a large barrel sitting behind the railing of the patio. "I want you to take this bucket and fill it to the brim with water. Go now and try not to slip in again."

Hermione stood up, wincing when she heard her knees creak slightly. She snatched the bucket from Draco and took off in the direction of the stream.

"I'm not gonna lose to you, Malfoy," Hermione whispered.

The sun was scorching high above her, but her venture into the trees' shade gave her a short reprieve. Hermione ran her hand along the rainbow eucalytpus bark of the trees as she passed them, swinging the bucket at her side. The only sounds were the chirping of birds, her own footsteps and the creaking of the bucket. It was proof that for a short period...she was entirely alone. Just like she had been wishing for the last three days on this island. The only thing that would have made the situation better was if Ron was here with her. She had no idea what she would say to him since they broke up, but just having him near would have made Hermione feel a thousand times safer.

_They stood just yards away from the _Burrow_ during a brilliant purple twilight, dressed warmly for it was going to be a cold night. The stars as well as the moon had started to appear in the west, white and blue winking in and out of sight in a silent song. _

_"Will you tell me what you have planned already?"_

_"It's a surpise," Ron said, grinning endlessly. He stepped toward her and held out a blind fold. "Now put this on. __Follow my voice, okay?"_

_Hermione nodded, taking hesitant steps forward, drawing her arms out to feel the space around her. Ron kept talking to her, his voice soothing her anxiety until they reached a certain distance from the _Burrow_. Hermione breathed shallowly when he suddenly stopped talking. His footsteps were heard behind her and the blindfold fell away from her eyes._

_"Ron...you didn't," Hermione gasped breathlessly. She stared at the sleek white grand piano in astonishment, mist covered the forest floor all around it. A large chocolate cake in the shape of a heart sat on a silver platter on top of it. It was lined with vanilla icing and it spelled out _Happy Birthday Hermione_ in cherries. "It's the same one we saw from the antique shop, right?"_

_Ron nodded and placed his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to his side. "Happy Birthday. Do you like it?"_

_"Like it? It's incredible!" Hermione turned to face him and wrapped her arms tightly around his lanky waist. "How did you-?"_

_"I made a deal with the shop keeper and she gave me a pretty good offer. Besides, I knew you wanted it so..." Ron gestured at the piano with a grin. "Here it is."_

_Hermione reached up to peck his cheek. "I love it." She went to sit down on the piano bench, waving Ron over to sit beside her. "You even got me a cake. You're so sweet."_

_Ron looked a tad embarrassed. "I only really know one song. The one you taught me years ago."_

_"Then play it. You went through the trouble of buying this for me. It would be a shame if you didn't use this piano too."_

_"...Alright, fine," Ron said, caving in after a few moments. He placed his hands on the keys, slowly moving from one to another. He messed up a few times, which Hermione found endearing but as he kept going, the music started sounding less awkward and much more natural. Hermione leaned her cheek on the palm of her hand as she watched Ron play. She closed her eyes, reliving the day she had been teaching Ron how to play the piano. It had been one of the few moments of peace she had shared with Ron during their months living practically like fugitives. She was giving him a look much like the look he had given her as he had watched her a play- a look full of love and adoration._

_She hadn't even realized Ron had stopped playing until he waved a hand in front of her face with a funny look on his face._

_"What...? Was my playing that mezmorizing?" Ron snickered._

_Hermione punched his shoulder playfully. "Adequate," she said with a smile._

_Ron chuckled. "Haha alright, I'll take whatever I can get. Hey...can we start eating the cake? I'm like wasting away here," he said, lifting up his shirt to reveal the smooth expanse of his stomach._

_Hermione threw her head back and started laughing. "Sure, sure. Cut me a piece, would you?"_

_"Alright," Ron murmured, taking the knife beside the cake and sinking it into the bread._

_He cut a large helping of cake and carefully place it on a plate, handing it to Hermione with both hands._

_"Isn't this your mother's fine silverware?" Hermione gaped at him, staring at the cake and the plate it sat on. "The ones she only uses for special occasions? She's gonna kill you if she finds out."_

_"This _is_ a special occasion," Ron murmured, placing a hand against her cheek and sliding it into her hair._

_Hermione leaned into his touch, smiling even as she closed her eyes. __As they ate the cake, a thought suddenly occurred to Hermione that made her giggle._

_A smile twitched on the side of Ron's mouth. "What's so funny?"_

_"Well, I just thought it was kind of ironic. In the muggle world, most people think that if a girl can make a knot out of a cherry stem then that means she's a good kisser."_

_Ron arched an eyebrow with interest. "Oh, really now."_

_"Supposedly." Hermione shrugged._

_Ron wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close. "Let's find out."_

_Hermione laughed and pushed him away playfully. "I couldn't even if I wanted to. I mean just think about it- tying a _cherry stem_ into a _knot_ with your _tongue_."_

_"Sounds hot."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes but even she couldn't help the smile that was fighting its way onto her lips. "You're incorrigible. But I appreciate what you've done for me." She turned away a bit, hand hovering over the piano. "This is..." She felt her throat constrict. "...the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."_

_"Hey." Ron turned her chin so that she was facing him. "You shouldn't cry on your birthday. I never understood why people have to cry even when they're happy. Smile." He placed his forehead against hers. "You have a very nice smile, you know."_

_Hermione suddenly grew shy, smiling despite herself. Ron stood up, grabbing the lone white candlestick and presented it to Hermione._

_"Make a wish," he said, gesturing at the unlit candles floating all around them. "You get one wish for every year you've been alive."_

_Hermione grinned and took the candle from him. She lit a nearby candle. "You know, I always kept my wishes to myself- fearing that they wouldn't come true if I told someone but I feel like shouting out all of them! I'll share half my wishes with you."_

_"You sure?"_

_"Absolutely." Hermione turned to the candle she had just lit. "I wish all the orphans from the war find nice homes."_

_"That's a nice thought and all Hermione, but the idea is to wish for something near impossible."_

_Hermione frowned. "But if I wish for something impossible, it obviously won't come true."_

_"Oh, really? Because I plan on making all your wishes come true," Ron said, sounding very sure of himself._

_"I wish for a new journal." At the dry look Ron gave her, she shrugged. "What can I say? I have everything I could ever want."_

_"Okay, then. I wish that you would make me another batch of those brownies you baked last week."_

_"Done. I wish you would take me to the Opera."_

_Ron winced and hesitated. "...Done. I wish we would go to the next _Chudley Cannons_," he shot back, grinning devilishly._

_Hermione rolled her eyes. "Fine. I wish we could take dancing lessons together."_

_"Torture. But sure, why not."_

_They continued like this back and forth until they lit all twenty-two candles. Finally, only one unlit candle was left. Hermione glanced at Ron over the top of the candle, giving him a look of pure love._

_"I'll share this one with you." She stepped around the candle to hand him the flaming candle, before placing her hand over his._

_A smiled twitched on one side of Ron's freckled face. "How generous."_

_Together, they lit the last candle and watched the rainbow flame shoot upward from all the lit candles at once, exploding into brights sparks of color across the sky. Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione as they watched the fireworks. Hermione leaned up to kiss his cheek before leaning her head against his shoulder. She had always been one of those people obsessed with time and what tomorrow would bring. But not today. Not right now. In the midst of this beautiful, incandescent moment she could just simply..._be_._

The sound of a bird chirping nearby startled Hermione out of her daydream. She blinked and saw she already stood in front of the steps that led to the patio. Had she really been that distracted in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed her back and forth comings of bringing buckets of water to the barrel? Hermione frowned softly as she walked up the short steps to the barrel and proceeded to dunk the last bucketful of water. Sure enough, it was now filled to the brim. She was not surprised when she turned around to find Draco exiting his house and was now making his way toward her. He spared a brief glance in the direction of the barrel before fixing his sole attention on Hermione.

"You've finally finished. Come with me, I have several more things for you to do."

Draco jerked his head toward the door he had left open and started walking back inside. Hermione set the bucket down beside the barrel and followed Draco into the house. They passed the parlor and room after room. It took Hermione a moment to realize that they were walking toward Draco's room. He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately heading over to his collection of books.

"Dust them and alphabetize them for me."

He tossed Hermione a cleaning rag. Hermione didn't look at him or say anything. She just marched over to the large bookshelf and began pulling out book after book until she had created small towers of books all around her. She sat down on the floor and began cleaning the dust off the books. Several of the titles caught Hermione's eye. How could it be that he hadn't read any of these in ages? They seemed beyond interesting to her.

"How long has it been since you read these?"

"And why does that concern you?" Draco asked, leaning against the wall opposite of her.

"No reason. It just seems like a shame to let all of these books collect dust like this. Do you have a favorite among these?"

"As it so happens it's the one your callused hands are now holding."

Hermione glanced down at the crimson book cover that read _Prisoners of Time_ by... Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe it! The book was written by Alaric Dashwood!

"Alaric," she choked out. "Alaric wrote this?"

Draco nodded grudgingly. "Back under his guise of Dashwood. He had talent but his books didn't really start selling until after he died- excuse me- after you killed him, I mean."

"Even though I keep telling you I'm not the one who killed Alaric." Hermione sighed, setting Alaric's book down now among the clean ones. "...You never once told me why exactly you thought it was me. Putting the journal, letter and pictures aside, did he ever mention he was dating _me_ specifically?"

"Seeing as how we were just barely reconnecting, he was quite vague about the girl he was dating. But he said that she was a year older than him and that she had attended Hogwarts."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Th-That...urgh! Malfoy, you idiot, that could be any girl from Hogwarts!"

"He also mentioned that she was a prefect in her sixth year at Hogwarts. Unless you know of another Hogwarts he could have possibly been talking about, please, Granger, do enlighten me." Draco snorted. "He also told me other bits and pieces of the puzzle. He told me the woman he was dating was not only someone I thought of as an acquaintance, but someone I was quite familiar with. Look at what I found in the flat he resided in muggle London."

He immediately went to his burea and opened a drawer, sifting through some clothing before finding what he sought. He then tossed a small green velvet bag tied with a leather thong. Hermione caught it, undoing the knot to stare at the contents. A toffee-colored curl looked back at her.

"Look familiar?"

Hermione gasped. "He kept this after all this time..." she breathed in awe.

"So you admit it's yours?"

Hermione nodded hesitantly. "It is mine, Malfoy. I gave him a lock of my hair and he in return gave me a lock of his. But the circumstances are much more different than you can imagine. It was a token of our friendship and goodbye as well as a promise that we'd meet each other again."

"Just one lie after another comes spilling out of that mudblood mouth of yours." Malfoy looked irritable. "I'll give you some credit- if I were some idiotic bloke I would have believed you too." He gave her a nasty look, looking her up and down with a smirk. He walked toward her until he stood merely two feet from her. "Just look at you. The perfect vision of an innocent little virginal princess, aren't you? It would be awfully tempting to expose you to society for the little tart you really are but..." He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I find that I enjoy having you to myself far too much."

Hermione wrenched her face away, giving Draco a flat look. "You don't know the first thing about me, Malfoy."

"I know enough. Now finish up quickly so I can get you started on the next task." Draco said with a finality that said the conversation was over. The rest of the evening was filled with silence until Hermione finished organizing the very last book on his shelf. "Come with me."

He lazily waved for her to follow him. She trotted behind him, wondering what else he had in store for her. She bumped into his back when he suddenly screeched to a halt in the parlor. Frowning, she glanced over his shoulder to see what he was staring at. There was a large pile of dirty mud-covered clothes sitting in the center of the parlor.

"How did you manage to get them so_ filthy_?" Hermione asked in astonishment, wrinkling her nose at the sight.

"Does it matter, Granger? Take them to the patio and wash them. There will be a basin of water, a washboard and soap waiting for you. You'd better do a good job or else."

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't argue back. After constant trips, she took pile after pile to the appointed location. Draco watched on, finding watching her wash clothes about as exciting as watching grass grow.

"You know this isn't what I call suffering, Malfoy. I've done chores like since I was seven." Hermione gave him a sarcastic look, scrubbing hard at one particular stain on one of Draco's shirts.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You used a washboard? That's so mundane even for you."

"Only during summers I'd spend at my grandma's cottage in the countryside." Hermione's frown softened at the memory. "We did everything the old-fashioned way. From chopping firewood to baking in a kiln."

"A muggle," Draco said flatly.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at him sharply. "Yes, a muggle. What of it?"

"A common muggle family...and then you came along. Would you say you were a blessing or a curse, Granger?"

Hermione avoided his eyes, trying to stay focused on the work in front of her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm assuming a witch born into a muggle family must have caused confusion as well as some exclusion, am I right?"

"My family was quite understanding. They weren't entirely oblivious to the magical world. About fifty years before, there was a wizard's birth recorded on my family tree..." Hermione smiled faintly. "They just didn't think it would happen again. As for being excluded...let's just say children are cruel, but my childhood before my time in Hogwarts has never hindered my love of being born as a witch."

Draco snorted. "Being born inferior, you mean?"

"Call it what you like, Malfoy, but I'm not ashamed of myself." Hermione stared up at him, locking gazes with him. "You on the other hand have much more to be ashamed of."

"You're on thin ice with me." Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "I'd watch that mouth of yours if I were you."

Hermione didn't say anything else, not wishing to anger him enough to do her harm. She kept forgetting that part around him. When they spoke or even insulted each other, it felt as natural as it was once was back in school. Though, cruel Draco had been, it had all been harmless. It was her third day on this island and she already felt like she was going out of her mind. Chores were nothing for her but Draco took all of it to the extreme.

After quite some time had passed where the only sounds were the wind, birds chirping, Hermione splashing the clothes in the soapy water, she said, "Honestly, Malfoy, don't you get bored just watching me wash your undergarments?"

She could hear Draco snort behind her. "You're not exactly a sight for sore eyes, trust me. Not from the front and _definitely_ not a vision from_ behind_," he said dryly.

Hermione paused mid-scrub as the words sunk in, feeling her ears heat up. Since she had no chair, she kept shifting from kneeling down to being in a crawling position, giving Draco a good view of her arse. She whipped around to glare at him, her wild curls hitting her cheeks.

"Is sexual harassment apart of your little game too?" She seethed, getting to her feet, watching the anger rise in Draco's slate irises.

"Did I say for you to stop?"

"Do it yourself, you sodding evil, slimy, foul-mouthed good-for-nothing git!" Hermione tossed the boxers she had been washing in Draco's face. She couldn't help the overwhelming satisfaction that rose in her at the pleasing sound of the wet garment smacking against his flesh.

Draco wrenched it away from his face and tossed it aside, giving her a flat stare. "You're quite the little masochist, aren't you? It's like you _want_ to die. Come here, you," he snarled. He crooked his finger at her, irritated when Hermione jutted her chin out, defiance written plain in her eyes. "I said_ come over here_, mudblood," he said through gritted teeth.

"And what will you do with me?" Hermione gave him a sarcastic look. "What sort of punishment do you have prepared for me this time?"

"How about I bend you over my knee and give you a good spanking in front of Greg?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed at him. "I will not be degraded."

"Like the way you degraded my brother," Draco said flatly.

Hermione closed her eyes as she fought waves of anger. "You're absolutely impossible. You need to trust my word when I say that I didn't kill Alaric." It was strange; there were few people who knew the way to go against Veritaserum. Draco really was smarter than she game him credit for. Thinking back, she remembered having Draco for quite a few N.E.W.T. classes.

"That's not good enough." Draco stepped away from the table. "Your Gryffindor loyalty and goody-goody reputation mean nothing to me. I'll be inside. When I come out, all the clothes had better be washed and hung up on the clothesline." He turned to walk inside the villa without another word.

Hermione stared after him. It was useless. Draco would never believe her word- not without some solid proof. But even then, she knew her future didn't look so bright, remembering Draco's promise of killing her and going after the real girl who had done it. He was a man beyond help who deserved to be locked up in Azakaban. Hermione turned back to her work, numbly becoming lost in the task in front of her.

* * *

><p>The gang was gathered together in a circle in the Weasley's parlor as they stared at the items that individually tied each of them to Hermione. Harry had called Ginny earlier to alert everyone to gather their personal objects while he and Luna gathered the ingredients and met at the <em>Burrow<em> within an hour and a half. The items sat on a wooden revolving metal plate in the center of the parlor. Harry had placed his item from Hermione down in front of him: a gold pocketwatch with the Gryffindor lion decorated on the front. He had popped it open to reveal the time piece inside, the clock tick-ticking away at the silence. Luna had brought a lovely black comb in the shape of a raven, its eyes dotted with tiny saphires. Ron had regrettably set down his silver promise ring. Next, Ginny placed a gold and silver interwoven bracelet with magical creature charms hanging from it. Finally, Neville set down his palm-sized potted mandrake root.

"Hermione...is quite thoughtful, isn't she?" Ginny inquired, fingering her bracelet with a tender look on her face.

"She knows us very well," Neville said with a smile. "She's a sweetheart, that she is. Most of the plants I own come from her. But this particular one is what immediately came to mind."

Harry ran his hand through his shaggy hair. "That's our Hermione." He sighed. "I'll go first." He slipped the clear unicorn blood vial out of his coat and poured a drop over his pocket watch, watching as the blood encased the entire object and murmured a spell so that it was entirely frozen over with the blood. He handed the vial to Ginny now who took a shuddering breath as she shakily dipped the vial over her bracelet. This kept going until the vial was passed in a full circle and finally came to an end as it reached Luna. Ginny turned to Harry who nodded and she stepped forward to lightly drop Hermione's topaz earring into a teacup of lavender oil and holy water.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, hands rubbing light, soothing circles against her arms. "I've already explained everything to mum and dad. This won't be tampered with."

"So a month," Ron murmured bleakly as he stared at his promise ring. "We have to wait a whole bloody month before we can even _attempt_ to get Hermione back."

"We have to be patient," Neville said, giving him a long look. "It needs to be done right the first time. We can't afford mistakes only to start all over again. If McGonagle says this is the best and only way then we just have to suck it up and wait."

Ron scratched the back of his neck. "I know but it's such a pain in the arse. I just..." He gave an aggravated sigh. "I just wish there was a way to know for sure that Hermione was alright at least."

Molly entered the room and stopped short at the look of all the solemn faces. "My, I've never seen so many gloomy faces before. I've prepared some tea and biscuits for everyone."

A tea cup floated up to each person. Ron shook his head. "No, thanks, mum. I'm going to head upstairs for a while. Try to get myself some sleep."

"Ron, you can't expect me to let you wallow all day in self-pity." Molly tsked. "It's not healthy at all. Stay here among friends and family while we discuss any possible suspects."

Arthur strolled into the room, all smiles as he sat down in one of the chairs closest to the fireplace. "I love a good mystery. Let's all put our heads together and think of anyone who could have stolen our Hermione away."

Harry sat in the chair across from, leaning back thoughtfully. "Pansy Parkinson maybe?"

Ron arched an eyebrow. "Why does she come to mind? Hermione works for her, why would Parkinson decide to just hawk one of her employees?"

"It's possible. I mean really we don't know what goes on between them outside of Pansy's house."

"You make it sound as if they're living every man's wildest fantasy at her house," George said, appearing by his mother, taking a heart bite out of a biscuit. At all the blank stares he received, he grinned and asked, "What?"

Molly smacked him upside the head. "Will you be serious for once? Unless you've got something brilliant to remark about, for Merlin's sake, shut your trap," she scolded.

George held his hands up in defense. "When girlfriends go missing, you've got to think back." At a dry look from Ron, he added, "Further back. Ex-girlfriends. That Lavender chit. Is she still around?"

"She is," Luna piped in. "I've seen her working in a potion's store." She furrowed her brows slightly. "But do you really think she could've kidnapped Hermione? I mean it's been years since Ron and Lavender were a couple."

"Perhaps she still has feelings for our boy, Ronnie. And she was so obsessed to the point where she had to kidnap Hermione, lock her up in her attic until our boy Ron fell in love with her all over again," George said, looking quite pleased with himself.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Why are you bringing my ex-girlfriends into this again?"

"Let me correct you, dear brother, _ex-girlfriend_ -as in singular- as in you've only had one before Hermione." George easily ducked a biscuit thrown at him. He smiled wrly. "Just telling it how it is. We can't rule out certain people from your past. Especially ones that might have had a grudge against Hermione. Alright so far we have Pansy and Lavender. Who else is associated with Hermione? Let's think like Slytherins. What about Romilda Vane? She tried to give Harry that chocolate laced with a love potion. Maybe she's been jealous all this time?"

Neville frowned. "I don't even think she's in the country anymore last I heard from a co-worker."

"Now isn't that convenient. She's not in the country when Hermione isn't. Hmm...interesting."

It was now Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "Romilda and Hermione rarely ever spoke during Hogwarts and even less now that we're all adults."

"At least some of us are," Ginny said, leaning against the arm of Harry's chair, looking pointedly at George.

"Don't go attacking me. I'm just trying to help. Who else is there? What about Cho Chang?"

Molly sighed with exasperation. "Now you're bringing Harry's ex-girlfriend into this?"

Harry half-shrugged. "I don't know about calling her a suspect, but she was associated with me at one point. I suppose that's reason enough."

"She did out our D.A. during fifth year," Neville pointed out helpfully.

"But is she evil enough to kidnap someone?" Luna countered.

"That we don't know. Come on, kids, work with me. So far I'm the only one making guesses," George said, parking himself comfortably on the couch, both arms resting behind it.

Neville shifted from one foot to the other. "Cormac...McLaggen?"

"Why do you guys feel the need to bring up old flames?" Ron scrunched his face up in disgust. "Scratch that, he and Hermione were never even involved. McLaggen was a slimey disgrace of Gryffindor who couldn't keep his bloody hands to himself."

"Personal experience?" George grinned.

"Enough," Arthur said, who had remained in deep thought all this time. His hands rested on his knees as he leaned forward. "Have you all perhaps considered Rita Skeeter? I'm sure you all must remember how in fourth year Hermione trapped Skeeter in a jar while in her Animagus form? Perhaps she wanted revenge." He shrugged. "I couldn't tell you why it's taken nine years for her to try to get even with her."

Harry sipped his tea, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat pleasantly. "It makes sense and like you said, we can't rule anyone out. What about Victor?"

"Here we go," Ron said, rolling his eyes as he dropped down beside George on the couch.

Molly gave him a look to pipe down. She turned to Harry. "Victor...Krum? The famous Quidditch player?"

"Hermione said they stopped exchanging letters after the War was over but maybe he just never got over her. Perhaps tried to win her over, failed and resorted to desperate measures."

Luna looked up from her note pad, ducking her head down quickly to add Victor's name to the list. "There's also Umbridge."

"What an odious woman," Molly muttered. "And let's not forget the Malfoy boy," Molly said reproachfully.

George waved his hand in dismissal. "It's never the obvious suspects, mum. Besides the Ferret is trying to make a clean break with society. One slip and it's Azkaban for him and his old bat." He glanced over at Harry. "Didn't you mention a few months ago that you tried to break bread with old Malfoy?"

"Yes," Harry said, staring into the flames of the fireplace with a distant look in his eyes. "It went..._well_, you could say. There's no bad blood between us anymore. Not any that I could sense, at least."

"Should I add him to the list just in case?" Luna asked.

"...Go ahead," Harry said, furrowing his eyebrows. "But save him last for interrogation. Malfoy and his mother are still in mourning, the last thing they need are unproven accusations thrown at them. Also, _none_ of this," he said warningly, "None of this gets out to Hermione's parents."

Ron scoffed. "Why not? They have a right to know they're own daughter is missing for Merlin's sake."

"Ron..." Harry had difficulty expressing himself, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there at the moment.

Ginny placed her hand on his arm, sharing a single look with him that said everything. She turned to Ron with an apprehensive expression. "Ron, there's something you don't know about Hermione's mother..."

* * *

><p>AN: Please R/R for a quick update. I'm already half-way done with the next chapter and working on it as we speak.


	4. Eden So Far From Reach

_"I close my eyes and bleed this empty heart of all that longs to die. When faces lie and love will falter. I'm left with only time and time will break the dreams that take the pain away. _Ever after never came and I'm still waiting for a love that never was. And all the dreams that I laid to rest are ghosts that keep me." - I Am Only One ~ We Are the Fallen_  
><em>

**Cracked Amor**

_Chapter 4: Eden So Far from Reach_

* * *

><p>Hermione wiped the sweat from her brow as she finished hanging up the last article of clothing on the clothesline. Damn Malfoy and owning so many damn clothes. She bet they all weren't even his. Just as she was about to turn around to sit for a little while before Draco came badgering her again, she felt a light tap against her temple. Annoyed, Hermione glanced up, eyes widening in surprise when she saw a floating goblet of water. It was a finely crafted crystal goblet in an near hour-glass shape. Dragon wings were spread out from either side of it with a long scaly tail wrapped around the stem of the goblet. It was all so finely detailed as was the rest of the faceted goblet.<p>

"Are you gonna take it or not, mudblood? I know it's completely wasted on you but you'd better appreciate it. Can't have you fainting on me again so soon," a voice drawled.

Hermione cast a dry look over her shoulder at Draco before grabbing the glass, drinking half of it in one swallow. Both of her hands carefully held the goblet below its crystal wings, watching the sun light cast its myriad of colors against her skin with fascination.

"This is beautiful," she breathed, unable to look away.

"Of course. Malfoys have only the best."

"The artisan must have really been something to have created something like this. You can tell he put a lot of love into his work." Hermione said, ignoring his arrogance. She took light sips from the goblet, slightly startled when she glanced up to find Draco giving her the most peculiar stare. "W-what?"

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly uncomfortable. "...My father made it. All the crystal wine glasses and figurines you see within the villa...my father made."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Your...father?" she asked incredulously.

"You think me a liar?" Draco scowled.

"No, no I believe you," Hermione said, focusing at the goblet in her hands. "I can tell by your voice. You speak so fondly of your father." She wouldn't look at him, suddenly feeling embarrassed but she couldn't stop herself now. "It's a remarkable hobby he picked up."

Draco stared intently at her. "...You don't know anything, Granger. In the eyes of you and society, my father wouldn't have seemed capable of doing anything remotely close to _human_."

Hermione nodded slowly, hesitantly raising her eyes to meet his as she raised the goblet to her lips once more. "I suppose I deserved that. I really didn't know your father...I never cared to just as he never cared to know me for obvious reasons." She sighed heavily, shutting her eyes briefly. "I really am sorry, though about your-

"Don't," Draco said, eyes flashing dangerously as he raised his hand up in warning. "Just don't. First Potter now you. I don't want sympathy from anyone. To hell with you, Granger." He took the goblet from her and tossed out the remaining water onto a nearby rosebush. "Time to get back to work." He walked across the expanse of the patio, and set the goblet down on a glass picnic table. He jerked his thumb at a large straw-woven basket sitting by the railing of the short stairs. "See that? I want you to fill it to the brim with apples from my orchard."

"What're you going to do with them? I remember Goyle saying something about you being able to cook?" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and smiled sardonically. "Going to make apple pies for us? My, how generous of you."

Draco tossed the basket at her, nearly hitting her in the face. "Quit yapping and get to work."

"Fine. But someday you'll owe me an apple pie," Hermione said breezily, walking by him. She went down the small marble steps, casting a dirty look at the serpent fountain as she headed toward the orchard.

She could hear Draco following behind her silently and rolled her eyes at his absurdity. Hermione shifted the basket under her arm so that it rested against her hip bone. She neared the first row of the apple orchard. There were red, yellow and green apples all around her, permeating a sweet candy-like fragrance . Hermione went from tree to tree picking them and gently depositing them into her basket. A yellow apple she held slipped from her hands and upon contact with the ground, it split in two and Hermione watched as something brown oozed from its center.

"Is that...chocolate?" Hermione uttered in disbelief, crouching down for a better look.

"Of course." Draco snorted as he strolled over to her and studied the fallen apple. "They're_ Dulcis_ apples. A creation of my mother's."

"Are they all like this?" Hermione asked, side-stepping the mess as she continued placing one apple after another in her basket. "Do they all contain chocolate?"

Draco shrugged. "Some have chocolate, some caramel while others vanilla filling," he said, looking quite bored. "It all depends on what lucky or unlucky surprise you get hence its name."

"Depending on which is ripe and which is under ripe I'm guessing," Hermione quipped. "They all look ripe to me. How can you even tell?"

"Why don't you take a bite out of that one you're holding? Seems ripe enough."

Hermione looked stunned, her cheeks pink with delight. "Are- are you serious?"

Draco blinked, taken aback by the joy on her face. "Go...ahead?"

Hermione grinned widely before she sank her teeth into the apple, her mouth instantly twisting in disgust as she spat it out. Draco laughed mirthfully at her, crossing his arms in satisifaction as he watched her spit it out and hastily wipe her mouth.

"That is the fowlest thing I've ever tasted!" Hermione shouted. "Malfoy, you tosser! That caramel tastes years old!"

"You're just too guillible," Draco said, rolling his eyes as sauntered over toward her. He reached a hand out toward Hermione and she backed up a step anxiously, prepared to engage in some sort of violence, only to realize his hand moved right by her head where a green apple was hanging. "You judge if it's ripe or not depending on the softness of the apple at it's crown. This one is perfect." He placed it into Hermione's basket. "Choose the ripe ones from now on."

"I never knew you were such a gardener," Hermione said, bewildered as she added two red apples into her basket.

Draco scoffed. "I'd help my mother out in her orchard once in a while so yeah, surprise, surprise that I picked up on a thing or two from her. She's recently made a contract with Honeydukes. The apples should be released to the public not too long from now. I expect they'll be quite a hit. My mother has a talent for turning anything she touches into gold."

"I wonder-

"Less talking, more work."

Hermione chewed the inside of her mouth. "I was just going to say that I was wondering who takes care of the orchards when no one comes here...elves?" Her mouth turned down at the thought.

"And if they are, Granger?" Draco smirked. "Don't tell me you're still into your spew crap? It was all absolute bollocks."

"First of all, it was S.P.E.W. and how exactly was it bollocks?" She retained a calm indifference as she inspected a shiny yellow apple. "You can hardly make fun of someone for being so passionate about a job or hobby they have. At least I couldn't."

Draco couldn't seem to find a way to respond to this, honestly stumped that there was nothing ridiculous about that statement to taunt her with. He frowned softly as he stared at the moist golden-brown earth in front of him.

"Are these enough?" Hermione asked, showing him the full basket of apples.

"...Go take them to the patio. Another basket will be waiting there for you," Draco said curtly.

Hermione didn't say a word, just hefted the basket more sturdily with both arms as she walked back toward the villa's patio. Draco stared after her with a mixture of confusion and hate. Why was she being so compliant? Surely, she didn't think he'd go easy on her just because she was being a little obedient. He snorted as he snatched a perfectly ripe green apple hanging beside him. With a quick _Scourgify_, he bit into the apple soundly, tasting dark chocolate. Hermione appeared a few minutes later with another large basket balanced against her hip and arm around it. She had moved onto the second row of apples, inspecting each of them as carefully as she could.

Draco silently walked beside her each time she finished one small section, the row of the small trees dividing them as he silently ate his apple. Through small spaces in between the trees, pieces of Hermione were revealed to him; the flesh of her hand, sometimes a piece her shoulder or an eye. For an instant, their eyes met through the leaves. Hermione's tawny orbs widened briefly before quickly averting them, stopping in front of a certain tree. She placed the basket on the ground as she placed several red apples in it.

"You know it's not like I can run off somewhere. I get that, you know? This island could be anywhere. It's not as if I can just jump the next cruise ship that sails by here," Hermione said conversationally, meticulously inspecting a green apple . "Just go back to work already. I'll get the work done just fine by myself."

"As it happens, my business from yesterday has been taken care of for now. At this moment, _you_ are my work."

"Do whatever you want, Malfoy." Hermione sighed. "I really don't care."

"I will, thank you." Draco sounded nauseatingly smug. "Care for an apple?"

"No, thanks I've had enough bitter apples for one day. I'll just have to try one myself the next time I visit Honeydukes. A sweet one this time." Hermione smiled, the breeze softly blowing her curls against her cheeks. "The best things are worth waiting for so I'll be looking forward to it."

Draco laughed. "The next time?" he taunted. "Pet, there isn't going to be a next time. Not while I'm here, anyway." He matched her strides easily. "And how do I know you won't try to filch one of my mother's apples when I'm not looking, anyway?"

"I'm not a thief," Hermione scoffed.

"No, no not a thief at all," Draco said mockingly. "Just a seductress. A harlot. A whore." Despite Hermione ignoring him, Draco saw her visibly bristle at each insult. Draco stared at the half remainder of his apple, popping the solid core of dark chocolate into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "Looking at it, an apple brings you back to the beginning when there were only two people existing in the world."

"Adam and Eve," Hermione murmured.

"Yes, such paradise they lived in until like all good things, they must come to an end. It seems that since the beginning of time, women have been quite the persuasive, manipulative creatures."

"What?"

"You know how the story goes, Granger," Draco said flatly, stopping just a couple feet behind her when she paused to stand at yet another tree for picking. "The Devil in the guise of a snake approached Adam and Eve, telling them to defy God and go right on ahead and taste the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Who convinced Adam to take a bite from the apple of the tree? None other than Eve herself."

Hermione sighed tiredly. "You can't define every woman as manipulative, Malfoy. Take a tall oak tree filled with apples for instance. All the ones closest to the ground might be rotten but then you'd find that all the sweetest ones are the ones that go beyond your reach." She stared at one red apple, the surface so smooth that she could see her own reflection. "It sounds like you've mostly come across rotten apples."

"This isn't about me." Draco turned to face her through the trees, making out small parts of her face staring back at him. "This is about Alaric. He loved you and you let him die." A slight smile twitched on one side of his mouth. "You have a nice way with words. I wonder if maybe this is what Alaric liked about you. Perhaps he mistook you for a sweet apple when really you're just rotten to the core."

"Stop it, Malfoy," Hermione said tartly. "The only rotten one here is you. Merlin's beard, you were hard to stand at Hogwarts and now you're just downright unbearable. You just won't listen to reason." She stared at him reproachfully through the open spaces between the tree's leaves.

Draco matched her gaze. "...Your look is so direct. Why is that?"

"In old tales, it's believed that when you find yourself face to face against a person or beast, you are to look them right in the eye and not turn away."

Draco stepped closer to the tree. "To you I must not be a person at all, more like a beast if anything. And what happens if they look away?"

"It means they have something to fear or hide."

Draco matched her gaze, not blinking once. "Delicate matters like this cannot be solved with a staring match, Granger," he said wryly. "If they were, Ministry cases would be much easier. My own father could have prevented himself from being sent to Azkaban during my fourth year if that was the case."

"Then you're gonna have to learn to _trust_ me," Hermione pleaded, her eyes remaining firmly locked on his.

"Not likely..." Draco said silkily, bringing his face even closer to hers until their noses were almost touching through the trees. "We're going now. I'll have you clean my kitchen next."

That signaled the end of the conversation. Draco turned on his heel to head back to the villa, hands shoved deep inside his pockets.

"May I know what you plan on doing with so many apples?" Hermione asked sourly, following after him.

"That is none of your business. And watch it! You're dropping some!"

Hermione glanced behind her to see that she had indeed dropped a few apples. A few had split open, leaving puddles of chocolate in their wake but one remained unharmed.

"Forget them," Draco said, walking briskly, finding her presence too stifling to stand any longer. "Hurry up, mudblood!"

A dirty glare was shot his way as Hermione walked a bit faster as she balanced the basket in her arms. They both walked in silence back to the villa, Hermione making sure to walk at least three steps behind him, always cautious and guarding herself against this man.

* * *

><p>It was a rare day off from the Ministry and Harry was not gonna waste a perfectly free day without seeing Ginny. He slipped on a dark blue blazer and turned to the mirror for a brief perusal of his appearance. As always, he could not ignore his very obvious scar on his forehead. Harry self-consiously reached out to touch it, fingering his short bangs. He knew he shouldn't have let Ginny talk him into cutting his hair. Harry pulled his drawer open to grab his wand when a knock sounded at his door.<p>

"Come in," Harry said.

Ron entered wearing a bedhead and sweat pants. He rubbed his eyes before lifting an eyebrow at his appearance. "You going out?" he mumbled groggily.

"Yeah, I made reservations with Ginny somewhere nice." Harry frowned softly. "Did you...wake up just now?"

"Yeah," Ron said non-chalantly as he took a seat on the edge of Harry's bed.

Harry's eyes bulged out slightly. "It's three in the afternoon."

"So I noticed," Ron murmured. "And how could you be going out like normal as if nothing happened with Hermione, anyway?" he asked, disgruntled.

Harry's eyes softened at the mention of Hermione. "We've done all that we can. All we can do is wait until the next full moon. The last two weeks, I haven't been able to spend any time with Ginny at all." He gave Ron a half-smile and a shrug. "I don't exactly wanna get dumped, do I?"

Ron snorted. "As if she'd dump you."

"Well, it's certainly not gonna be the other way around," Harry murmured, reaching up to touch his scar again.

"Your scar hurting you?"

"Huh?" Harry quickly dropped his hand down to his side the second he was caught. "Oh, no. It's nothing." He walked over to Ron until he stood just a few feet from him and laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine. Hermione _will_ return to us."

Ron frowned deeply at the ground and shook his head in confusion. "How do you do it, Harry? How do you live like this everyday, thinking that everything is gonna turn out right as rain?"

Harry rose an eyebrow. "I don't," he said simply. "I just hope for the best. And you should too. Hermione wouldn't want you to lose sleep over this. Step out of the house for a while. Take a long walk and clear your head. It might help."

"...I just can't stop thinking about her." Ron leaned forward and held his head in his hands. "The last conversation I had with her was of me breaking up with her."

Harry stared at his wand and toyed with it in between his fingers. "And do you regret it- breaking up with her, I mean?"

Ron sighed. "I don't know, exactly. I mean, I was getting so frustrated at never getting to see Hermione- thinking that her work mattered more than I did and then Ginny tells me the whole reason Hermione was taking on so many jobs was to help her sick mum pay off some debts from a loan shark." He ran a hand through his hair and growled. "I'm such an arse!"

"I'm sorry for not telling you. Ginny and I found out purely by accident one day and Hermione made us promise we wouldn't tell you. Molly knew of course because she was the one providing Hermione with those special packets of herbs for her mother."

"But how could she _not _tell me?" Ron asked incredulously, standing up sharply. "I was her boyfriend, wasn't I?"

Harry narrowed his eyes slightly. "And that's the precise reason she didn't tell you. She didn't want the most important person in her world to worry about her. And believe me, I tried to help her pay off her debts so many times but she's stubborn. A lot like you in that department." He shoved his hands into his pocket as he leaned against his dresser. "So don't think about how long it will take to bring Hermione back, think about where you want your relationship to be at once we bring her back."

There was a long pause of silence and Ron sighed once again. "A girl like Hermione would want to focus on her career and that's what I should give her...but maybe we really aren't right for each other. We're too different. We're not the same people we were six years ago. At one point, I thought, this is the girl I wanna marry- this is the girl I will never share with anyone else. But now the few times out of each month we're together, it feels like I'm not even trying to hold up much of a conversation anymore and I find myself wishing I could be doing my own thing while she does hers."

Harry nodded. "You did the right thing. It was better to end things rather stringing her along."

Ron arched an eyebrow. "Why are you so OK with this? Ginny wanted to strangle me when she found out I broke up with Hermione."

"Yeah, Ginny would have killed you but I..." Harry stepped closer to Ron and gave him a leveled look. "_I_ wouldn't have been able to forgive you if I found out you were making her believe that you loved her when you obviously didn't."

"I do- I _do_ love her," Ron said quickly, balling his hands into fists at his side as he glared at the floor.

"That I have no doubts about but we both know you couldn't love her the way she wanted you to," Harry retorted. He patted Ron's shoulder before turning around to rifle through his drawer. "Look, I'm not trying to piss you off but I can't sugarcoat everything for you. Figure out what it is you really want, mate. You say you ended things with Hermione but by the looks of it, neither of you have gotten any closure from it so it seems...it's still not over." He lifted a white silk box from his drawer and lifted it so Ron could see it.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Why, Harry, this is all too sudden."

Harry chuckled and smirked. "It's for your sister...I'm asking her to marry me."

"And you're telling me...why? I'm not her keeper, you know," Ron said, crossing his arms and snorting.

"I know. But you're her brother and my best mate. The only ones who know are you and Hermione now...and I have a sneaking suspicious that Luna does too. She keeps giving me these coy looks every time we're in the same room as Ginny." Harry grinned. "Nothing gets by her, I suppose but I'd rather it be a surprise for Ginny."

"When are you asking her?"

"Well, the plan was originally to propose to her the night of her birthday but with everything that's happening with Hermione, it should wait until we get her back besides I know she'd murder me if I proposed when she wasn't here to witness it." Harrry laughed lightly, running s hand through his shaggy hair. "But before that of course, I have to ask her parents for permission."

"Permission?" Ron asked incredulously. "Harry, my mum already considers you apart of the family. I think she'd find it odd if you _didn't_ propose to Ginny at some point."

Harry shrugged with a half-smiled. "Call me old-fashioned but that's the way I think things should go," he said.

"Yes, quite the noble gentleman you are," Ron said sarcastically but he couldn't help but smile. "I wish you both the best. Hey, can I see the ring for a sec?"

"Sure."

Ron opened the box to reveal a flawless round canary diamond encircled with smaller canary diamonds. The thin gold band had tiny regular diamond sidestones lined up all around it.

"Hermione helped me pick it out. Honestly, we must have gone through six different shops before I knew this was the perfect one for Ginny."

"It's nice. I'm sure she'll like it." Ron closed the box and handed it back to Harry. "Heh...I would have given anything to see how ruffled you got your feathers over buying my sister an engagement ring."

Harry groaned as he turned to put the ring back in his drawer. "I was a total wreck. Hermione enjoyed teasing me just as well as you would have."

Ron glanced at Harry's alarm clock by the side of his bed. "You should probably get going."

Harry's eyes bugged out at the time. "Shit, this is the third time I'm late for a date." He scooped his wand and held it at the ready. "Anything you want me to bring home?"

"I liked those chinese noodles you brought last time."

"Alright, done. Anything else?"

Ron snorted. "Yeah, quit being Ginny's little whipped boy already."

Harry made a face. "Shut it, you wanker."

With that, he had Disapparated, leaving Ron alone in his room. Just as Ron was about to leave the room, his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the picture of him, Harry and Hermione sitting in a picture frame at the center of Harry's bureau. Why couldn't things just go back to the way they once were? When things were simpler and they hadn't complicated anything by dating? Or by Hermione working so much. Yes, he was a selfish bastard but he was a selfish bastard that wanted Hermione back home.

* * *

><p>Draco sat down at the dinner table. "Well...? I'm waiting."<p>

"Just wait a second!"

Hermione came dashing through the kitchen holding two scalding plates on each hand, looking fairly disgruntled with her hair was a mess and flour caked on her face and apron. She set the plates down in front of him with a clank, walking off to go get the rest. Soon the whole table was covered with the food Hermione had prepared for Draco. He stared from it to Hermione.

"What's wrong?" Hermione sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Other than the fact that it was cooked by a mudblood?"

"Finally, you say it outloud." Draco smirked. "That's good. Denying it never did any good for anyone." He glanced down at his food again. "I suppose it will have to do." He stuck a fork into a scallop and proceeded to eat quietly.

Hermione turned around to leave when Draco's voice halted her.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at him and gave him an odd look. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to wash the dishes."

"Did I say you could leave? I want you to stand right here." Draco pointed to a spot two feet away from him with his fork. "Stay right there until I finish eating."

Hermione swallowed down a remark, counting to three slowly inside her head before doing as he said. During the whole time she stood there, she never once looked at him.

"Granger?"

"What now?"

"Feed me."

"What?" Hermione turned to him wide-eyed. She placed her hand on her hip and stared him down warily. "_Really?_ What are you, a toddler? I'm sure someone as _great_ as you can manage to feed themselves well enough."

"My hand's cramping up," Draco said off-handedly, leaning back in his chair with both arms crossed behind his head.

"Then use the other one," Hermione said dryly.

"What am I, an acrobat?" Draco snorted. "Hop to it, Granger."

Hermione snatched the spoon from him, and roughly shoved an abundant amount of rice into his mouth.

"Watch it! Are you trying to choke me, woman?" Draco shouted, spewing some of the rice out.

Hermione looked at him innocently. "If I did and you died, it wouldn't be the most terrible thing in the world."

"Feed me correctly or..." Draco smirked suddenly. "I'll just have you feed me mouth-to-mouth? How do ya like _that_?"

Hermione's face flushed with anger. "You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Well, how's this, Malfoy? I kill you and make it look like an accident," Hermione said in a saccharine voice.

"Ah, the murderess strikes again? Oh, when will it end?" He rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'd never give you an advantage to kill me."

"And second?"

"You'll only be proving me right about what you've done to Alaric. I have no wish to continue discussing that matter now feed me correctly or I'll tie you to the pier!"

Just as a pissed Hermione was raising another spoonful of rice, Draco stopped her with his hand on her wrist.

"Kneel down beside me."

"No."

Draco's eyes flashed angrily. "Granger," he said warningly.

"I told you, I refuse to let you degrade me. There's only so far you can push me. I warn you now, when you push me far enough over the edge, guess what?" Hermione slapped her hand on the table and leaned close to him. "I'll push back just as hard."

Draco stared back at her with a blank expression. "You mean like this?" He grabbed her shoulder and shoved her hard enough to hit the wall, making her drop the spoon and rice scattered all over the floor. Hermione eyes widened in shock before a look of anger quickly replaced it. Draco threw down his napkin and stood up sharply. "You're terrible dining conversation, Granger. Eat my leftovers, throw them away. I really don't care. I'm going to take a nap. Try anything funny and-

"You're starting to sound like a broken record, I get it. Just go already," Hermione said through grit teeth.

Draco shouldered past her roughly as he gave her one last dark look. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief once he disappeared behind the swinging doors. She stared down at the food left behind. Draco had still left a lot of food despite how much he had eaten. She took his seat and cut herself a piece of fried fish, popping it into the mouth. The taste had her tongue buzzing and her mood perked up a bit. She would gladly finish as much as she could. Who knew when Draco would suddenly decide to stop feeding her. Hermione consumed the entire fish, shoving forkful after forkful into her mouth. It was such a relief to just sit and eat in blissful silence. Be grateful for the simple things in life indeed as her mother always said.

After she finished, she put the food away in containers and diligently washed the dishes, humming a song she couldn't quite remember the words to. Hermione stood undecidedly outside the doors, her hand poised just over the wood. After a long moment of indecision, she stepped through them and into the lavish living room. Draco was sprawled across the couch with an open book on his chest. Hermione looked at the cover: _The Legend of all Legends _by...Her eyes widened and they quickly started tearing up at the name she read. It was by _Alaric Ashwood_. The cover demonstrated a stone wall with a hidden face among the rocks. There were thorny vines growing on it, partly hiding the face from view. A pair of jeweled swords lay against either side of the wall. As if sensing her prescence, Draco shot straight up and glared at her as he snapped his book shut.

"Alaric really wrote that? What's it about?" Hermione asked, anxious to know.

"Why would I tell you?"

"He was my friend, of course I'd be interested. Please tell me," Hermione said, looking down at him earnestly.

Draco arched an eyebrow at her. "What do I look like, a storyteller?"

"Give me something. Anything. I knew he was a painter and a photographer but I had no idea he was also a writer."

"No, of course you wouldn't," Draco scoffed, walking across the room to put the book back on the shelf. "It was a complete failure in the Wizarding World. Only about two hundred were out in print. But surprisingly, it did much better when he published it in your muggle world. Muggles went crazy over it," he said, trailing his finger along the spine of the book. He went back to lie down on the couch, his long legs crossed at the ankle. "Muggles certainly do love their fantasy, don't they?"

Hermione stayed quiet, praying against hope that he would tell her more about Alaric and his book. "Was it just that one that he published?"

"Yes. Although, I found an unfinished manuscript in his closet. Brilliant. Couldn't expect anything less from my brother."

"Please tell me a little about his book," Hermione said, hating how she was practically begging him to tell her.

"I didn't expect you to care so much about something so mundane. Or maybe you're just a better actress than I thought." Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "It's none of your business, Granger. You severed all ties with Alaric the moment you left him. You've killed him. He was my brother and a part of me. It was like you killed me right along with him."

Hermione shook her head. "I didn't, I didn't," she said brokenly.

"Merlin, how you make me wish I could just drink myself into a stupor." Draco stood up sharply with a smile. "You know what? I think I'll do just that. Go bring me a bottle of Sherry and a glass. _Now_, Granger," he stressed when she didn't do it immediately.

Hermione sighed as she walked away slowly. A minute later, she entered the room with the wine and glass in each hand and presented them both to him.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. "Well...? Pour it for me."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek as she poured the blood red liquid into the glass and held it out for him. He took it from her, his fingers briefly brushing against hers. Hermione watched with horror as he downed the whole glass in one gulp and offered the glass for her to pour him more. She poured him more and once again offered it to him, never once slowing down on swallowing.

Draco chuckled. "Do you know that with every pleasure there comes a sweet pain?" He took a long drag of his wine. "I wonder where I could find the sweetest pain of all." Hermione bit her lip as she watched him but remained all too quiet and uncomfortable. "Do you know where I could find it? It evades me so well."

"Malfoy," Hermione started carefully. "Maybe you should slow down on the drinking."

"Nonsense, I'm just getting started. Help yourself if you want. I think I can stomach a conversation with you and _maybe_ tell you about Alaric's story if I'm hammered."

Hermione shook her head. "I do want to hear about his book but I think at least one of us should stay sober."

Draco snorted. "Same old boring Granger. Well, then, have it your way." He extended his glass out to her yet again. "Just keep my mind off Alaric for a while. Do you think you can manage that at least?"

Hermione wondered if she looked as uncomfortable as she felt. "...What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about your family."

Hermione gave him a withering look. "We've already established they're muggles. Get over it."

"No, I mean_ tell_ me about them, Granger. I'd genuinely like to know more about the sloven environment you were raised in." Draco arched one delicate eyebrow as he briefly studied her unkept appearance. "I wanna know exactly what makes you _you_."

"Alright, just because I didn't live in a mansion with hundreds of servants at my disposal does not mean my environment was by any means _sloven_ as you arrogantly put," Hermione huffed. "I lived in a two storee house with my parents in a charming neighborhood. They're dentists." At the blank look she received from, she patiently explained, "They're paid to professionally look after people's teeth. They made a fair living from it. Before I started Hogwarts, I went to a local muggle school."

Draco closed his eyes as he listened to her, a smirk making its way onto his lips. "I bet those filthy muggle children tortured you about your buck teeth."

"Relentlessly," Hermione agreed, heaving a small sigh. "Children are brutal but honest." She shrugged. "I knew I was no beauty. I didn't pretend I was."

"So no money, no social status or good looks. What _did_ you have then, Granger?"

Hermione smiled knowingly. "Trust me, I had everything I needed."

"What about _want_? Was there ever anything you desired like that sweet pain I spoke of earlier?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "OK, first of all, I'm not a masochist like you and second, of course there were things I wanted. Everybody wants something."

"What did you want? Come on, I won't laugh." Draco chuckled. "Alright, I'll try not to. Doesn't mean I'll succeed but by all means go ahead."

Hermione frowned at the floor before her. "Well, I..." She shifted from foot to foot uncertainly.

"Come over here, Granger. Sit in front of me. I'm hardly going to bite you."

After a moment of hesitation, Hermione kneeled down in front of him with her hands clasped in her lap.

"Continue," Draco said, slurring his words a bit. "The silence is more deafening than any noise imaginable."

"Wouldn't you rather have me sweep and mop up the kitchen and the rest of the house?" Hermione asked, trying to reason with him. Draco really wasn't himself when he was drunk.

"You already did that earlier. And what makes you think I'd let you off so easy? You told me you're used to chores so I'll just have you sit there for a bit and tell me things that will keep my mind off of everything even if it winds up putting me to sleep in the process. Actually, that might make it a little better." Draco leaned further back into the sofa with a sly smile. "Don't worry, I'll come up with even harder things for you tomorrow."

Hermione gave him a flat look. "Thanks for the heads up," she deadpanned. She glanced around the room as if the answer would present itself to her and finally heaved a long heavy sigh. "Well, I wanted to have more friends that were girls."

"What?" Draco looked at her strangely.

Hermione shrugged. "I mostly hung out with Harry and Ron. I was close with Ginny but she was a year younger than me so of course I didn't have her for classes. And Luna and I didn't start hanging out until fifth year."

"What else?"

"For you to bugger off." Hermione couldn't help but grin cheekily.

Draco looked kind of irritated for a moment, but started chuckling much to Hermione's surprise. "Go on."

"I wanted to become a doctor. I don't know if your file on me said anything about that," Hermione said snidely.

"No, it didn't. Is there a specific reason why you wanted to be a healer?"

Hermione looked away from him and stared at the pristine white wall. "My mom. She's terminally ill."

Draco didn't open his eyes. "That's life. Everyone's damned anyway."

"How cheerful," Hermione said dryly. She glanced anxiously at the kitchen door. "Can I please just go clean up?"

"No, you mudblood. I want you right where I can see you."

"We see far too much of each other as it is, Malfoy. You realize you've taken so many things of importance to me, right?"

Draco stared lazily at her. "Not everything." He slowly looked her up and down with a bored expression. "...Tell me about your first time."

Hermione blushed. "That's really none of your business, Malfoy."

"Never mind." Draco scrunched up his face in disgust and shook his head. "The one who deflowered you was more than likely Weasley, right? I don't need that mental image. Honestly, even _you_ can do better than that."

"Shut your mouth!" Hermione rose to her feet, fists clenched tightly at her sides. "Don't you speak that way of Ron. He's twice the man you'll ever be. And just for the record, I think any girl can do better than _you_."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "You're actually comparing the Weasel to me?"

"There's nothing to compare. Ron is the most caring, most selfless person I've ever met. Two qualities you could never possess."

"Oh, please," Draco scoffed, sitting up sharply. "Granger, I've never tried to be either of those things. I'm going to tell you a little secret about men." He smirked at her. "It's the nice ones you really have to watch out for. You let your guard down around them, let yourself believe they're a hero and paint a pretty picture of roses with you both in it and they take advantage of that. Don't give me that look, everyone cheats at least once in their lives and Weasley is no different. He'll get tired of you and move onto the next pair of legs that walk by."

"Shut up!"

Hermione was about to walk out of the room when she felt a strong pull on her body, making her turn around and face Draco. She watched in horror as a smirk spread across his face, his wand raised in her direction. Her own body betrayed her and forcefully made her walk back to Draco.

"I have not dismissed you. You need to hear everything."

Hermione clenched her teeth together as she stared down at him. "I hate you."

"Good. Because you have no idea how much _I_ hate _you_."

"I'm beginning to understand," Hermione murmured. "Just so you know, I've never doubted Ron once."

"And that's where you made your first mistake. It's either you wouldn't put out for him, you were lousy in the sack or he will simply just get bored of you over time."

"Just because Ron isn't programed the way you are that does not make him a man whore! He's a good man! He's- he's"

Draco rolled his eyes and waved his hand in dismissal. "Yes, yes. The wind beneath your wings and so on and so forth as so many so-called love songs go. _I don't care._ I can tell your future just by looking at you." He looked her up and down. "You're going to die a lonely, bitter old hag with no one to love you. Who could love someone as filthy, as easy, as plain as you?"

Hermione felt tears of anger well up in her eyes. Felt her blood boil just beneath the surface. Without thinking, she grabbed the wine glass from him and tossed the wine in his face. Draco's eyebrows shot up in alarm before anger registered and he leaped straight to his feet. He took a deadly step toward her, wobbling slightly before his eyes closed and he fell forward without warning. Hermione shrieked as his much larger body brought hers' down along with him. It knocked the wind out of her so hard she was fighting for breath. She flinched when she felt Draco's breath against her neck. He was fast asleep. Hermione tried to wiggle out from under him but all she could manage was lifting her head up.

"Malfoy, wake up," Hermione hissed.

There was no response from Draco other than a deep sigh in his sleep. Hermione growled in irritation. This would have been the perfect time to steal Draco's wand- whether it scorched her or not thanks to his anti-theft spell- it was a chance at the least. After several minutes of struggling to get out from under him, Hermione gave up and dropped her head back against the hardwood floor. She stared at the ceiling that had a skylight- a faceted crystal globe. The sun light made Draco's hair shine, the red droplets of wine that clung to his strands of hair eerily resembling blood. Hermione looked away uneasily.

_'Seriously, you have to be born with that kind of hair. Honestly, that's probably Draco's only redeeming quality...and then again it's not even a quality, it's a feature!'_

She sighed heavily. She froze when she suddenly thought of someone. Goyle. Hermione wondered if he was currently nearby. She took a huge breath before she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Goyle! Goyle! Get in here! Your master is incapacitated! On,_ me_ no less! Goyle!" She was greeted back with silence. Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Come over here, Goyle! Goyle! Goyle!' Hermione felt very close to screaming.

When she tried to move around under Draco again, his hands planted themselves firmly by her head. Hermione froze, staring at his face fearfully. His face was turned in her direction but his eyes remained closed.

"Stay still...Alaric. You can't go off again and leave me like this," Draco whispered.

Hermione stared at Draco with a mix of pity and frustration. Did he think he was the only one who missed Alaric? Hermione moved her head forward so that her chin was now on his shoulder and managed to wiggle her fingers out from under him, her fingers brushing his upper back in a slight embrace. It made no difference. Right now he thought he was hugging his brother. His face right now was serene without any cruel intent to be found. He looked about as vulnerable as a little boy. It made Hermione think that maybe Draco hadn't entirely lost his humanity yet if he was still able to make such a face.

"Granger? I could hear you shouting all the way across the stream." Greg said, wiping his hands on his trousers as he entered the living room. He looked aghast and jumped back when he saw Hermione lying on the floor with Draco on top of her. "...Am I interrupting something?"

Hermione glared at him, wiggling her shoulders. "Get him off. He's incredibly drunk right now and fyi, he weights a ton if you catch my drift."

Greg raced over to her side and easily turned Draco over so that he was now lying beside Hermione.

"How did he get covered in Sherry?" Greg asked incredulously.

Hermione bit her lip indecisively and turned away. "...I was cleaning the kitchen. I walked in on him like this. As he stumbled over to me, he lost his balance and fell on me. Then just knocked out."

Greg furrowed his eyebrows as he reached past Hermione for a throw pillow, raised Draco's head and placed the pillow beneath it. Hermione's eyes softened at the tenderness of it all. So even a former thug like Greg had some compassion in him. He turned to Hermione somberly.

"Know how to fix up a hang-over potion?"

"Why don't we just toss him into the stream? That oughtta sober him up," Hermione said, rising to her feet.

Greg whipped out his wand and faced her with a feral look. "Do as I say if you don't want me to burn off all that bushy hair."

Hermione stared him down for a moment before looking over at Draco's sleeping form. She walked out of the room and started into the kitchen. A few minutes later, she appeared with a mug in hand.

"What is that?" Greg asked suspiciously. "Doesn't smell anything like a hang-over potion. So help me, Granger if you're trying to poison him."

"Relax. It's just coffee. I refuse to make him a potion. This is my own little revenge for how he's treated me. THIS is how people in the muggle world get sober."

Just then Draco opened his eyes, glancing from Greg to Hermione to the empty glass lying beside him.

"The fuck happened to my wine? Pour me some more, Granger," he demanded.

Hermione gave him a level look and placed her hands on her hips. "I think you've had quite enough, Malfoy."

"I'll fucking tell you when I've had enough," Draco said, getting to his feet.

Hermione was surprised he was even able to keep his balance with all the Sherry he had drank.

Greg placed a hesitant hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm gonna have to agree with her." He grinned. "Honestly, you look like shit, mate."

Draco frowned and glanced down at his soaked shirt and snorted. "Guess I'll take a shower."

He started unbuttoning his shirt and he shrugged it off. Hermione instantly looked away. This did not escape Draco's attention. One side of his mouth lifted up in amusement.

"What's with you? You act like you've never seen a man's body before."

"You reek, Malfoy," Hermione said, meeting his eyes. "Seriously."

Draco half-smirked. "You're not fooling anyone with this little cute virginal act of yours. Come scrub my back, Granger."

"I'd sooner gag. Get Goyle to do it for you."

Greg gave her a strange look but merely watched their exchange silently.

"You should probably have this first," Hermione said, holding out a mug of coffee. "I added a bit of caramel and whipped cream for extra flavor. It's the way I always like it."

Draco glanced from Hermione to the drink. "Poison?"

"Awfully tempted to but no. Drink up, Ferret."

Draco scoffed and drank up without a fuss. He made a face. "Why do I have to put up with this? I want a hang-over potion?"

"She refuses, Draco and you know I suck at potions," Greg said with a sheepish grin.

"Whatever. Granger, come with me," Draco said, drinking some more of the coffee as he walked down the hall.

"I'm not washing your back."

"You're right. You might end up throwing yourself at me shamelessly and try to seduce me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself."

"Just come with me before I drag you. I'm gonna have you clean my room."

Hermione followed him without complaint. Draco entered his room, instantly walking over to his wardrobe to pick out a random pair of trousers and a shirt. She frowned. What exactly did he want her to clean? It looked spick and span. She sat down on the edge of his bed in thought as she glanced around her surroundings.

"What're you doing?"

"Nothing. There's absolutely nothing to clean."

"Oh really? Because right now it's being tainted by your filthy mudblood air."

"Fuck you, Malfoy."

"No, thanks. I don't like my women as easy as you."

Hermione growled. "I hate that you have to cheapen me by talking about me as if I was some common whore."

"Well, you're no high class prositute that's for sure." Draco snorted.

Hermione grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it at his head. Draco stepped out of the way in time and turned around to face Hermione with a lazy arch of his eyebrow.

"You're cleaning that up." He waved his wand around, causing the bed to unmake itself, scattering books all over the floor and opened the window, causing a whole bunch of leaves to spill in. "Along with all of that."

He shut the bathroom door behind, leaving a fuming Hermione in his wake.

* * *

><p>After Draco had taken a quick shower, he saw it was getting dark and started dragging Hermione back to the clearing. He pushed her into the restroom that clearing had and tossed some clothes at her so that she could shower as well. The instant Hermione had finished showering, Draco grabbed her arm and started hauling her toward the hut-like house. He pushed herself inside, watching her stumble and fall back against the bed. As Draco turned to leave, he watching her bow her head out of the corner of his eye.<p>

"What no smart comeback?"

"It's been a long day, Malfoy." Hermione sighed. "I'm tired."

Just as Hermione tried to scoot up the bed to go to sleep, Draco lashed out and grabbed her elbow.

"I haven't dismissed you yet," Draco hissed.

"You were already on your way out. What more could you want from me this late, anyway?"

"I want so much more from you, Hermione Granger. I want my brother back."

"I won't argue over that matter with you anymore, Malfoy," Hermione said firmly.

"Because you're finally ready to admit what you've done?"

"I won't argue with you because I'm tired. I don't care what comes tomorrow, right now I just want some sleep."

"Rest assured it will get worse with each day."

"I'll deal with it when the sun rises. I have nine short hours I'm away from you. For now, it's enough."

"Not entirely." Draco leaned into her slightly and Hermione just had to turn her head away in disgust. "I'll invade your dreams and I promise I'll invade them often," he whispered into her ear. He relished in Hermione's discomfort as she jerked away from him. His face returned to a cold indifferent mask before kneeling down to chain her iron anklet to the bed.

Depositing his key back into his pocket, he surprisingly left without a fuss. Hermione was able to sigh with relief once she heard his footsteps disappear, She kneeled down in front of the nightstand and tugged on the drawer for the little box of matches tucked in the corner and palm-sized oil lamp she had found under the bed. She wondered just who had stayed in this room before her. Hermione retreated quickly under the bed, safely hidden under the covers. She lit the lamp and placed it at a safe distance away from her. Catching sight of the belladonna she had hidden under the bed a few days ago, Hermione smiled widely.

She wouldn't miss another opportunity to use it on Draco and Greg. She grabbed the notepad and pen she had stowed away along with the belladonna. Hermione found herself wishing she had a journal instead. It seemed she had so much to say. She had to write in tiny words on each page as if writing a palm-sized letter. Each and every letter was always addressed to Ron.

_Dear Ron,_  
><em>Here's another letter I wish I could send you. There's so many things I wish I could tell like how I wish I hadn't taken our relationship for granted and for you to know much I love you so. With each day that passes, I find myself yearning for you more and more. I miss your blue eyes, the freckles on your nose and most of all, your endearing smile.<em> _I feel like a Hogwarts school girl again, writing my feelings for you like this. I would always incinerate everything I ever wrote about you in case my mom, dad or nosy visiting cousins ever got a hold of them. But every word is etched right in my heart. How incredible it felt the first time I realized I was in love with you. In the beginning, I thought loving you was enough but of course it never is. __I remember thinking I wanted to show you how much better the_ being_ in love is even better than the _falling_. I love you so much, Ronald Bilius Weasley. I'll love you now and I'll love you always. I'll come back to you soon and when I do, I'll be able to tell you all of these things and I don't care how long it takes but I'll win you back._

Hermione stared down at her letter and smiled. The first few days of logs, she could barely stop crying long enough to finish a letter but she knew that as long as she carried Ron in her mind and heart, that it would be the greatest strength she could survive off of and cling to.

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up the next day, full of energy, ready to start the day despite Draco's taunting from the night before. She climbed out of bed and made it with quick precision, shaking out the sheets and delicately fixing them. She fluffed the pillow laid them out at the head of the bed with a smile before going to her glass cabinet and grabbed a navy blue and white striped tank top and wore a light blue capris. As always, she always constantly had to be glancing behind her in case someone walked in without knocking. She hastily got dressed and went to go open the door and saw Goyle poised to knock on it.<p>

He raised an eyebrow. "You're awake already?"

"Good morning, Goyle," Hermione said with a disarming smile. "Just give me a few minutes to wash up."

Greg was so startled he didn't answer back. Hermione finished quickly and started walking toward the outdoor dining room and kitchenette. Draco sat brooding at the picnic bench with his chin resting in his palm.

"Will I be fixing breakfast?" Hermione asked.

"Well, it's not gonna make itself now is it?"

Hermione bit back a retort and walked into the kitchenette. "How about some blueberry pancakes? They're my specialty."

Greg smiled eagerly. "I sure could go for some."

Draco glared at him before directing it at Hermione. "Make a little bit of everything. We're working up quite an appetite."

"Alright then." Hermione moved about the kitchenetter, getting all the ingredients ready. "Will you tell me what your plans are for today?"

"You mean my plans for you? You'll just have to wait and see."

Hermione rolled her eyes and continued to quietly fix up food for them. Honestly, she should just purposely burn their food but then she'd be forced to remake them so there really was no point. A short time later, she placed a stack of pancakes, bacon and buttered toast with jelly.

"Granger, do you really expect me to eat this toast without strawberry jelly?"

"You're like a little boy with your jelly, Malfoy," Hermione said with barely contained amusement. She went back to the cabinet and started moving cans aside until she found the strawberry jelly in the far back. She started scraping strawberry jam onto it. "There. I'll fix myself something quick while you both eat."

"That will waste time. I won't wait for you. Sit down," Draco ordered.

Hermione eyed him warily before sitting down beside Greg. He glanced at her for a milisecond before returning to his rapid consumption.

Draco smirked. "I don't bite, Granger. Well, not if you're not into that kind of thing. You probably are, little sluts like you get off on things like that."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she served herself a pancake and a few strips of bacon. "Must you talk about such vulgar things first thing in the morning?"

"Oh, I'm sorry does that offend your fake ladylike demeanor? She's quite an actress isn't she, Greg?"

Greg who had only been half-listening, nodded quickly before swallowing. "Yeah, yeah. Definitely."

"Malfoy?"

Hermione turned to him in all seriousness.

"What?"

"I love you."

Draco spit out his food and started choking as he guffawed at her.

"Now THAT is acting, Malfoy." Hermione said with a smug look. "Learn to tell the difference. Rest assured that's something you'll never hear from me. I pity the poor girl who loves you."

"Yeah, I feel bad about Astoria," Greg said glumly, momentarily forgetting his food. "You know she still loves you, right Draco?"

Draco glared at Greg. "...I'm aware, yes. What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Well, nothing I guess." Greg scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "It's just that I think Blaise is becoming suspicious."

"Suspicious?" Draco snorted. "I'd never touch her. I won't even let myself be alone with her. Don't make it sound like I'm having an affair with her."

"Well, he's told me that he's caught Astoria staring at you one too many times and that he found an old bracelet you once gave her tucked away in one of her drawers."

Draco sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She's ruining her and Blaise's chance at happiness. I'll just avoid them until they finally get married. Even Astoria has some sense of how to behave once she's married."

"You're gonna ignore them for _five months_?" Goyle asked dubiously. "Good luck with that. You know Blaise wants you as best man."

"So all I have to do is show up at the wedding. Not a day sooner. Enough talk of her."

Greg cleared his throat nervously. "I guess this means it's a bad time to tell you that Astoria owled you a letter."

"Oh, for Merlin's- " Draco cut himself off as he dragged a hand down his face. "Just toss it, Goyle. This is the last thing I need right now."

"Well, if you want I can read it and if there's any romantic implications, I'll throw it away," Greg offered, tossing another forkful of bacon into his mouth before taking a hearty bite from his toast.

"I don't care. I won't read it either way. Just toss it."

"Alright."

Hermione had kept her eyes down the entire time they had had their conversation about Astoria. She felt so awkward being in the middle of Draco's talk of past loves. She tried to focus on finishing up her food quickly, waiting for the men to finish as well. Greg was an incredibly slow eater. Once he finished, Hermione took his and Draco's plates.

"Seconds?" she asked dryly.

Greg nodded and quirked his head in a way as if saying _'duh'_ but Draco answered for him. "No. We should get you started on work."

"Whatever you say," Hermione muttered.

"I'll have you chop some firewood today but before we get to the heavy stuff I want you to tend to our garden."

"Excuse me, but it's _my_ sweat and effort going into it. It's the one thing I think I can actually call my own so it's _my_ garden," Hermione said matter-of-factly, placing her hands on her hips as she stood up from the table.

Draco stood up sharply and leaned into her ear. "You forget that what's yours is mine as well," Draco whispered roughly.

Hermione jerked away from him and grabbed the plates from the table to go wash them. As soon as she had put the last dry dish away in the cabinet, she was being hauled off the small staircase by Draco toward the direction of the vegetable garden. As Hermione went about the task at hand, she calculated her next opportunity of escaping. She had never actually used belladonna on anyone before. She wondered how long it would be before it took affect on Draco and Greg. While she had had her back turned on them, she had poured some belladonna into the pancake batter. Hermione tried to focus on watering the vegetables but she just couldn't help but wish the belladonna could kick in soon.

Everytime Hermione began watering a different row of vegetables, she would glance back as subtly as she could at Draco. He was perched in his white ash tree, taking large swigs from his flask. One time, Draco caught her staring at him. She jumped slightly and quickly turned away, trying to focus on her work. Hermione groaned internally when she heard his booted footsteps making their way toward her. Hermione stiffened when he paused just beside her. Her eyes bulged out and a shiver crawled down her spine as something wet fell on her head, drenching her hair and her shoulders. She glanced up sharply in shock only to find Draco staring back aloofly, his flask turned downward.

"You looked like you needed to cool off a bit."

_'Don't give him the pleasure of seeing you pissed. Like dad always says, ignore the ones who wish you misfortunate.'_

She turned away from him and resumed working, hoping the belladonna would just kick in already.

"Why so quiet, Granger? I know you. You _always_ have something to say," Draco mocked.

Hermione stood up, allowing herself a moment to stretch her legs before moving onto the next row of vegetables. She remained silent as she kept herself busy.

"You know, one of the things I loathe almost as much as lying backstabbing whores, it's to be ignored." Draco kneeled down next to her and jerked her chin up with two fingers. He narrowed his eyes. "I'm taking another stab at why Alaric loved you." He felt Hermione's jaw clench tightly, eyes boring into his. "Just what was it about you?" he asked as if he thought Hermione might know the answer. "What kind of spell did you have him under for him to fall so madly for you?"

"I can assure you the only one I've ever loved and the only one who has ever loved me back is Ron," Hermione said simply. Her eyes were downcast as she said this.

Draco scoffed. "One of many I'm sure. Let me ask you one thing, why _Weasley_?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. "...It was inevitable. We were best friends. I've loved him since fourth year, probably."

"But _why_? That's the part you're not answering."

"We balanced each other out. We brought the best out in each other. Ron may be a slacker and insensitive but he is extremely loyal and kind and brave and so funny. He can make me laugh like no one else." Hermione smiled softly at this as she tucked a curl behind her ear. "He's just..._it_ for me," Hermione said, shrugging.

She couldn't believe she was actually having this sort of conversation with Draco Malfoy of all people. She hoped- prayed he never found out about her break up with Ron. The thought of him was one of the only things keeping her strong about going home. Hermione wouldn't let him take that away from her.

"I'm sure you wouldn't think he's so perfect after what I've read about him."

Hermione briefly looked at him out of the corner of her eye, considering what he said for a moment before dismissing it altogether. "I'm _sure_."

"You don't believe me?" Draco snorted. "Well, then I'll let you be the judge." He waved his wand and stack of newspapers appeared in front of Hermione. "Take a look."

Hermione stared blankly at the large pile of _Witch Weekly_ issues and _The Daily Prophet_ that lay before her. "Those articles are written by Rita Skeeter."

"Not all of them." Draco randomly pulled one out and read it aloud. "The headline reads **Ron Weasley Getting Tired of Hermione Granger? **_The once thought ideal couple besides Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley might be calling it quits. Ronald Weasley has been reportedly seen no longer wearing his engagement/promise ring. Sources say that he is rethinking his relationship with Hermione Granger in exchange of better company. Seen exiting quite a few gentleman's clubs in the past week, a different woman on his arm each time. A close source-_

"Stop," Hermione said, unable to stop her voice from shaking. "Just...stop."

"What's wrong, Granger? Can't handle the truth?"

"I'll never believe those articles. I'll know it's real if I see the truth for myself."

"Speaking of Weasley, I notice _you're_ not wearing your engagement ring either."

"Promise ring," Hermione corrected, though she wasn't sure why she felt the need to. She kept her eyes on the soil in front of her as she watered it thoroughly lest she give herself away somehow about her current relationship or lack thereof with Ron. "...I don't wear it out for fear I'll lose it. Ron does the same."

"So confident," Draco mocked. "So trusting. So..._pathetic_," he finished with an evil grin.

Hermione whipped around to face him. "You're absolutely vile. I suspect you were never loved and now you feel like you have to take it out on everyone else because of it."

Draco glared at her. "I'd watch it if I were you. Don't try to psychoanalyze me."

"I'm right, aren't I?" Hermione had finished the last row and stood up, facing him passively. "It doesn't matter if I end up leaving this island or not. I will not die without getting under your skin when this is all over."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her carefully. "I've already gotten under yours and you won't be able to escape me. Not in this life time or in the next."

Hermione gasped lightly at the rawness and determination in his stone gray orbs. "...I'm done with the garden. What's the next assignment?"

Draco remained silent, watching her dryly. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Hermione watched as Draco's eyes fell shut and his body hit the ground audibly. A slow smile started at her face as she stepped closer to him, reaching into his pocket but came out with nothing. She leaned over his body and reached into the other pocket. Hermione let out a sigh of relief as her hand came into contact with it, letting out a sharp cry when she felt a scorching pain course through her hand. She flicked a glance at Draco, fearful that all the noise she made would awaken him but no, he was heavily sedated. Probably would be another good half hour or so. Her scorched hand was clutched tightly to her chest, her eyes tearing up slightly from the pain.

Gritting her teeth, she ripped up the hem of her tank top and curled it around her hand tightly. Hermione tried once more to reach into pocket. This time, she still felt a great deal of heat emanating from the wand but it didn't hurt as much. Grasping the wand, she quickly made a break for it. Stumbling along the way, Hermione realized she had no idea where she was going- she just knew the further distance between her and Draco the better. She came across two different paths. The sound of water could be heard on the left one. Hermione chose it and started running through it at a desperate dash. The ground started getting steeper and steeper until the point where she had to nearly climb up on her hands and knees. She safely lifted herself up to solid ground. Her eyes widened at the large bend of dewy grass in front of a large waterfall.

She was literally standing a few feet from the top of the waterfall. Hermione kicked off her sandles as she put one leg firmly into the water as she grabbed hold of the bend. The pull was strong. She walked forward barely two steps before she found herself being pulled away. Hermione yelped, scrambling to grab onto a plant. She tugged on it harshly, nearly pulling it out of its roots. She glanced at a medium sized rock ahead of her and managed to grab hold of it before she could get pulled away again. Hermione climbed up onto of the stone and gave one large leap onto the other side of the bend. Her clothes hung heavily off her, the coolness of the water refreshing compared to the sweltering heat.

Hermione took a moment to wringe the water from her clothes and started walking at a more relaxed pace through the jungle now that she had put a great deal of distance between herself and the former Slytherins. She squinted slightly when she saw a large structure ahead of her. Did Draco own _two_ villas? As she neared it, she saw that she was wrong. It was an old cottage made entirely of white stone that was now in ruins. A thick dark blue wooden fence surrounded it. Hermione undid the rusted latch up the waist-high door and entered the area. She could see a silver bird bath in the center of the courtyard with blue roses skirting the edges of it. Vines had scaled the small house, sporting bright purple flowers from it.

Now that Hermione got a good look at the place, she was pretty sure this must have been some sort of playhouse for a rich wizard child. Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes at the thought of Draco as a child. He was half as slimey then and twice as horrid now. She approached the door and pulled on the handle and just as expected, the door was locked. Still clutching Draco's wand in her hand, she swiftly waved it over the keyhole.

_"Alohamora."_

The door swung open, revealing flames that instantly shot up from the fireplace. Hermione stepped inside as she studied her surroundings, distractedly kicking the door closed. She held the wand cautiously in front of her in case of any strange surprises. The walls were painted with exquisite landscapes of detailed swords, snakes, skulls and green, blue, black and white dragons wrapped around medieval castles. There were shelves upon shelves of books skirting the edges of the room and on the other, and on both sides of the room there was a large cabinet with jars of candy and Zonko products inside. An eisle and empty parchment rested against it.

A large empty birdcage hung over Hermione head, narrowly missing it as she crossed the sand-colored, velvet-soft carpeted room. One corner of the room had a large golden chest full of what Hermione imagined to be toys beside two small beds. Still dripping and trembling from the cold, Hermione waved Draco's wand at her clothes and murmured _'Scourgify'_. She sat a few feet from the fire and raised her knee up to inspect the iron anklet.

_"Diffindo."_

Hermione frowned when nothing happened.

_"Engorgio."_

Still nothing.

_"Confringo!"_

Getting more desperate, Hermione thought of the one spell that had to work when nothing else would. _"Finite Incantetem."_

Hermione groaned as she slumped forward, allowing herself to lie across the velvety-soft carpet, staring blankly into the crackling flames. She tossed the wand aside considering it was useless to her at the moment. Alright...so maybe she couldn't use the wand on the anklet but what about on other objects? Hermione lifted her wand toward the flame, dimming them until it was just a light simmer among the coal, murmuring an incantation. Through the glowing coals she could make out out the fiery image of Harry and Ron's apartment. Her heart sank when she saw the living room was empty and the light was turned off.

"Harry, Ron," she called out. "I'm here! Come to the fire place!"

She groaned when no face appeared in the coals looking back at her.

"You guys! It's Hermione! I don't have a lot of time! Just- just come here a moment! I need help getting out of here!"

Hermione let out a deep sigh and shot up when she heard the doorknob rattling. No! Draco couldn't have possibly found her just yet but then Hermione briefly thought about the time she spent running through the jungle and going across the waterfall and winding up here. About half an hour had already past. Hermione could only sit still as she watched the door slam open to reveal Draco staring menacingly at her from the doorway.

"What're you doing here?" Draco demanded.

Hermione looked up at him frightfully. "I-I..." She looked anxiously across the room at the wand she had discarded. She made a dive for it. Draco lashed forward and quickly seized her forearms, effectively pinning her to the ground as she rose a shaky hand to inch toward the wand. Draco snatched it up easily as he straddled her and pointed it at her throat.

"You are going to _slowly_ get up and walk in front of me," Draco spat threw grit teeth. "You are going to keep your arms behind you. Then walk to the clearing so that I can decide what I'm going to do with you."

Hermione glared at him, despite the wand pressing into her skin. "No."

"_Get up,_ Granger or so help me."

"_You_ get up!" Hermione jerked her knee up, causing Draco to groan and jerk himself painfully off to one side.

Hermione instantaneously got to her feet and started darting through the trees as if the devil were on her heels. And she had a feeling, that wasn't very far off from the truth. She ducked branches, leaped over logs, never once looking back, hoping the beating of her heart would drown out the footsteps so she wouldn't have to think anymore. She finally had the right opportunity to leave and it just had to be her luck that no one had been home at Harry and Ron's apartment. Hermione shrieked when she narrowly avoided a large spiderwide with a tarantula at it's center. She pounded from tree to tree, stopping when she got to a particularly large one and pressed her back against. She quickly tried to catch her breath as she cautiously looked around the corner to see if Draco was following her.

There appeared to be no sign of him anywhere. Just as Hermione took her first step from the tree, Draco landed in front of her, straightening up quickly and standing practically nose to nose with her. Hermione shrieked as she took a step back and fell over a fallen log. Her head fell back against the ground, causing some leaves to jump up. Draco gave her a menacing look as approached her. Hermione quickly flipped her body around so that she was on her knees and kicked off from the ground, getting ready to sprint forward when Draco's hand lashed out and dragged her back to him.

"Let go of me, you tosser!"

"I don't think so."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder and glared at him as she used her other foot to kick Draco's jaw. He fell back from the shock, giving Hermione the chance to run for it. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, climbing over a huge rock at one point before resuming to hide tree to tree- never allowing herself more than five seconds to stay hidden before running forward once more, the crunching of the rocks and leaves under her bare feet defeaning her ears. She glanced behind her quickly to check for any sign of Draco, and was startled when she heard a noise to her left, skidding to a stop behind a boulder.

A long sigh of relief escaped her as she saw it was just a deer. Hermione pressed her hand to her chest as she allowed herself a bit of time to catch her breath before she had to run again. She had no plan- maybe not even enough _time_ to think of a plan. Hermione cradled her head in her hands in deep thought and frustration. _'Think, Hermione, think.'_ After a long moment of debating, a lightbulb clicked inside her mind. Of course. It was so obvious. She could go back to the clearing, knock out Greg and steal his wand...that is if she made out of this jungle without Draco finding her first.

She smothered a gasp when she heard some footsteps nearby. Hermione pressed her back much more firmly against the boulder, and slid against it as she slowly walked around the curve of it. She risked a peek and saw Draco running in her direction. She quickly whipped around and hid herself well behind the rock. Glancing around her surroundings in desperation, she saw there was no way to go but up. Best climber was definitely something Hermione wasn't but she managed to find a few footholds and shakily pulled herself up. She let out the tiniest sigh of relief when Draco bolted right past the rock.

Hermione crouched down below a low branch that covered her on all sides with its heavy curtain of leaves. She waited with bated breath as the footsteps approached. That was when she heard Draco's running_ past_ the boulder. The witch peered between the leaves to see Draco already nearing out of her sight and allowed herself another small sigh of relief. Wasting no time, Hermione quickly jumped off of the rock and started running through the brush once more. Soon, she came to a familiar trail and a bright smile lit up her face. If she kept going this way, she would soon make it to the waterfall. The faster Hermione ran, the closer the sound of water carried toward her. Hermione screeched to a stop at the bend.

Before she could so much as dip her toe in, a burst of powerful energy surrounded the area in ripples of green. Hermione stumbled back as the energy flowed right into her. She touched the spot on her chest she had felt it enter, taking deep ragged breaths before looking into the stream to find anything out of the ordinary. Her hair albeit was frizzing up like crazy but other than that she looked the same as always. That was when she suddenly felt that energy that had entered her, leave her and embody itself into a ball of green energy in front of her. It swirled around her before bursting toward the sky like fireworks.

Hermione groaned to herself. Of course. The bastard had used the _Homenum Revelio_ tracking spell. It was time she had better get moving. There were no stepping stones so she would have to actually get into the water. Hermione gave a shuddering breath before placing one firm foot in the water, quickly grasping the edge of the bend when she felt it starting to pull her away. Kicking off hard from the bend, she leaped halfway, fighting against the current when she landed. There was the medium-sized rock from earlier, and her fingertips just barely managed to brush against it. She took a step forward and slipped, shrieking when her ankle twisted painfully. She started doing frontstrokes like crazy as the current effortless tugged her backward. Hermione shut her eyes and screamed as she fell off the side of the waterfall.

_"Moblicorpus!"_

Hermione slowly opened her eyes to find Draco on the other side of the bend she had been trying to reach, pointing his wand at her. He had a fierce glare as he slowly, carefully levitated her back up the waterfall...before uncercemoniously dumping her beside him. He instantly grabbed her wrist in a painful grip so as to force her to look at him.

"You idiot! Why would you walk across the top of the fucking waterfall?! Are you fucking stupid?!"

Hermione glared back at him as she tried to tug her wrist back. "It's better than spending another day with _you!_"

Giving her a dark look, Draco scooped her up quickly, ignoring her kicking and flaying as he stalked through the trees.

"Let go of me!"

"You shouldn't have tried to run a second time," Draco murmured darkly. "I _warned_ you."

Hermione stilled in his arms at his words, eyes widening in horror. She didn't dare ask what he would do with her. They reached the clearing and Draco unceremoniously dropped Hermione at the base of a tree. She let out a cry when her twisted ankle made impact with the ground. She gaped up at Draco as her hand flew to her ankle.

"I'm hurt, you idiot!"

"No one told you to run away. You have no one to blame but yourself." Draco pointed his wand at Hermione. She froze up, flinching fearfully and snapped her eyes shut. _"Incarcerous."_

Hermione struggled against the invisible hold that held her unbearably tight against the tree. She glowered at Draco.

"Just how long are you going to leave me like this?" Hermione asked in exasperation, wiggling her shoulders around.

"Day...days...weeks. Depends on what kind of mood I'm in at the end of the day." Draco smirked at her. "I'll keep you hydrated, don't worry, but this time I'll keep you hydrated _my_ way." He pulled out his flask of Fire Whiskey.

"I refuse," Hermione said without hesitation.

"You don't really have much of a choice given your current circumstances. Drink it, mudblood."

"No."

"I said drink it," Draco stressed.

"Never."

"Fine then. You just love doing things the hard way, don't you? I didn't think I'd have to use this again on you so soon."

"...Use what?" Hermione asked suspiciously, not sure if she even wanted to know.

Draco crouched down in front of her. "_Imperio._"

Hermione looked on in horror as her body suddenly went taut, awaiting whatever order Draco would give her.

"Take a sip of my Fire Whiskey."

Hermione lifted her quivery hands out and took the flask from him, taking the demanded sip forced upon her. She quickly tried to return the flask by pushing it against his chest. Draco revealed a half-smile and curled her hand more tightly around it with his own.

"Good. Now take a large swallow from it."

Hermione fought the urge but in the end she ended up taking a pretty big swallow from the flask.

"Don't make me drink anymore. It's vile," Hermione sputtered.

"Now drink the entire flask," Draco said, completely ignoring her.

Hermione began downing the whole drink in a frenzied manner, before dropping the flask at Draco's feet. She literally choked on the liquid as it burned its way down her throat. Her hands flew to her throat as if to try to lessen the burning sensation.

"Brilliant. Now I won't have to worry about having you run away. I can just get you drunk each day," Draco said decidedly.

Hermione's head lawled forward, smacking her lips together, unable to get rid of that strong alcoholic taste in her mouth.

"I'm going to chop the firewood. I was originally going to have you do that earlier right after you finished watering the vegetables but you're in no state to be chopping firewood, now are you?"

Draco grabbed a log from a pile beside Hermione. He set it on top of a tree stump and swung the ax down, slicing it cleanly in half. Hermione watched him, seeing as how she had no other choice, glaring daggers at his back. If only he'd miss and accidentally chop off his own fingers. Then he'd know that karma was a bitch. Hermione struggled against the invisible binds holding her against the rough bark of the tree but to no avail. She was stuck on this island with two idiot wizards. She reeked of Fire Whiskey and she had a twisted ankle. Things just couldn't get any better if they tried.

"You know, I quite like you like this Granger. You make excellent company when you're not opening that big mouth of yours."

"Imagine how much more delightful it would be for you if you _let me go_," Hermione said with bittersweet-coated words.

"Oh, trust me, Granger, I've had worse company. As for letting you go, dream on it." Draco glanced up from his work and smiled. Hermione was taken aback by the very abrupt, genuine smile. "Greg! There you are, mate!"

Greg ran up to Draco, holding a long branch with lots of trout speared through it. "I caught a lot. Using a make-shift spear was too much trouble so I just used my bare hands and afterwards just grabbed a random branch to carry them back here.

"Nice job," Draco said, clearly impressed. "You're starting to get the hang of this survival thing." He smirked. "You must have a tough digestive system if you managed to fight off the belladonna this witch tried to knock us out with."

"Belladonna?" Greg stared at him a moment before laughing. "Is that what it was? I thought the aftertaste was kind of odd after I finished eating."

Greg grinned but it waned somewhat when he saw Hermione pinned to the tree. He jerked his chin in her direction.

"Umm...are we going to feed her too?"

"No, don't trouble yourself over her. More for us." Draco glanced over his shoulder at Hermione with a wicked grin before turning back to his work. "My first mistake was letting her get dehydrated. I think she's hydrated enough with all the Fire Whiskey she drank. She doesn't need to eat tonight. That's her punishment for drugging me and running away with my wand."

* * *

><p>As soon as Draco had finished chopping firewood, he had set up a small campfire a few yards away from Hermione. Greg was busy gorging himself on trout after trout. Draco was sitting on a log across from Greg, in deep thought with his chin resting against his caged hands. The flames reflected off of his gray orbs, making them appear silver at times. He had been enthralled by the sight of humiliating Hermione Granger. He knew revenge would feel great but now that he was actually getting some satisfaction out of it, he wondered just how<em> creative<em> he could he get with his punishments with her- just _how_ far could he push her before she would finally break. Draco turned to glance up in time to find Greg striding over to Hermione.

He watched as his best mate grabbed the back of Hermione's limp head and forced some more alcohol down her throat. Every once in a while after her gagging and coughing would subside, Draco would order Greg to give her some more. A slow smirk started at the sight of Hermione struggling between fighting off Greg and drinking it, lest she choke from all of her struggling. The longer Draco stared at her, the more familiar the scene was becoming. When Greg finished pouring all of his alcohol down her throat, Hermione bent over to spew it out. Draco's smirk waned as he fixed his gaze on the long curls now curtaining Hermione's face from view.

_Draco watched in amusement as his brother puked his guts into the toilet. It was the middle of the night and his younger brother had snuck back into the manor after joining some kids from Durmstrung at a party. Draco could barely fathom how any fourteen-year could party as hard as Alaric apparently had. Then again a few of the kids he had seen arriving at the manor had looked a few years older than Alaric._

_"I told you you couldn't handle it. Don't consume more alcohol than you can handle," Draco reminded him, rolling his eyes._

_"No need to rub it in," Alaric rasped out as he shakily rose to his feet. He grabbed the glass of water Draco had provided, took a swig and spit it into the sink. "It's not like any of this should surprise you. I _am_ the family screw up, after all."_

_Draco rose an eyebrow. "You've been listening to my mother again. I've already told you to ignore her. Fuck what anybody thinks. You're fourteen. Your life's goal is to make mistakes over and over again until you can figure out what you want."_

_"Sounds like _you're_ the one that's been listening to your mother." Alaric pushed past him roughly. "I don't need the same recycled lecture passed down to me."_

_Draco arched an eyebrow as he followed him back into Alaric's room. Alaric sat at his window nook where dim rays of light shone through dark clouds. It seemed rare that light dared to touch the Malfoy Manor. The light highlighted the slight blue tint in Alaric's dark locks and once again Draco was reminded of just how different they looked. If it had been revealed to the public that Alaric was Draco's brother, no one would have believed it. Although, Lucius had said that there were times when he thought he saw a little something in Alaric's face that reminded him of Draco. He sat on a leather sofa chair near the nook, facing away from Alaric and stared intently into the flames of the fireplace._

_"My mother coddles me as our father says. And I guess it's true. Our father on the other hand is another story altogether. Do you really think you're the family screw-up? Honestly, can't you remember all the times father chewed me out for coming in second to that filthy mudblood from school?"_

_Alaric gave a begrudging slight nod as he stared out the window in deep thought. "...That Granger girl, right?" He turned his head in Draco's direction, a small smile curving his lips. "You talk about her a lot."_

_"No shit. Gets on my bloody nerves, that she does," Draco grumbled. _

_Alaric almost grinned. "The way you talk about her so much...people would almost assume you liked her if they didn't know you better."_

_Draco gave him a dry look. "Don't be ridiculous."_

_"I'd like to meet her someday, given the opportunity," Alaric said thoughtfully, leaning the back of his head against the window and twisted around to drape his legs over the side of the nook. _

_"What in Merlin's name for?" Draco guffawed at him, turning nearly all the way around in his seat to face him._

_"Because you and father seem to hate her so much. And I've learned from experience anyone you guys hate turns out to be a rather nice person."_

_Draco groaned. "Whatever you do do _not_ let father hear you say that."_

_Alaric glanced out the window. "I'm gonna get out of here someday, Draco."_

_"And do what?"_

_"There's no place for me here. You will inherit the Malfoy estate along with your fortune and marry some beautiful pureblood. Where will that leave me?"_

_"You're beginning to really annoy me with this talk, you know?" Draco narrowed his eyes at him. "You'll always have a place to call home."_

_"Draco, what kind of girl do you think you'll end up with?"_

_Draco blinked. "I don't know. Whoever my parents decide to match me up with I suppose."_

_"But if you could choose, what kind of girl would you want?"_

_"I don't know." Draco smirked suddenly. "I guess someone who is obedient, quiet and doesn't bother me."_

_Alaric gave him a deadpanned expression. "Where's the challenge in that? Don't you want a girl with more spirit...more passion?"_

_Draco stared at his brother incredulously. "Why are we even having this conversation_?"

_"Because I hear the way you talk about your girlfriend Patty and it doesn't really sound like you're happy."_

_"It's Pansy, actually." Draco looked pensive for a moment. "Well...I _am_ happy. Not incandescently so but I'm happy none-the-less. Pansy's pretty fun. Hell, and she practically worships me. If I do end up marrying her someday, it wouldn't be the worst thing ever."_

_"Alright?" Alaric gaped at him. "And you're fine with that? With just being...alright? As my brother, you have always been the one to tell me why go for ordinary when you can have extraordinary?"_

_Draco shrugged. "...I'm being marked next year, Alaric. Such a girl...doesn't exist for me."_

_Alaric crossed the room to join his brother, stopping a few feet from him. "Brother, you don't have to go through with this. Even Narcissa doesn't want you to get the Dark Mark."_

_"It's already been decided," Draco said snidely. "As a Death Eater, I won't have to worry about who my parents are gonna set me up with because I'll be too busy killing for the Dark Lord anyway."_

Draco blinked. He hadn't thought of that conversation in so long. It was one of the last ones he and Alaric had had before Draco started his Death Eater training with his Aunt Bella. It was strange that he hadn't remembered up until now that they had actually had had a conversation about Hermione Granger at one point.

"Something wrong, Draco?"

Draco blinked out of his reverie and shook his head, giving a reassuring quirk of his mouth and shrug of his shoulders. "Just thinking about my mother. I'm sure she's lonely."

"So owl her," Greg said simply, taking a hearty bite out of his fish. "Speaking of which, you got another letter from Astoria."

Draco closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Please don't hesitate from now on, Goyle. You know what to do with it."

"I know but I just feel bad about ignoring her. Astoria's a really nice girl." Greg chuckled. "Makes me wonder how she ever got sorted into Slytherin."

"She told me the Sorting Hat had considered putting her in Ravenclaw but she decided on Slytherin to continue the family tradition." Draco looked pensively into the fire. "Please toss it, Greg. The last thing I need is for Blaise to have suspicions that I have designs on his fiancee."

"Alright, if you really insist."

Greg took the roll of parchment out of his cloak and threw it into the fire without further adieu. Draco silently watched the fire eat away at the parchment, as it blackened and sparks shot up from the flames.

"My mother wants me to start courting again."

Greg looked up from mid-bite and blinked. "Hmm...well, maybe you should. It's been a little more than two years since you last courted a woman. Could be a good distraction for you."

"I want to focus on more important things. No matter what I can't let this business between me, Alaric and Hermione just die."

"It's so strange..." Greg said pensively, setting his plate aside. "We grew up hating the ground Hermione walked on and now we're holding her captive on an island. It all feels..I dunno surreal, I guess."

"She's in her rightful place," Draco said, taking a swig from his flask. "And they say good karma doesn't come to the wicked." He glanced over his shoulder and smirked at Hermione's weak form lawling forward, still magically bound to the tree. "I'd say we've gotten_ very_ lucky in this case."

"I'm worried, Draco. What if the Ministry finds out?"

"You forget who you're talking to."

"But what if-

"Not buts." Draco gave Greg a stern look beneath hooded eyes. "Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

"Well, I can't think of any at the _moment_ but I'm sure there was at least one time." Greg rolled his eyes.

Draco chuckled darkly. "You can quit whenever you like. Just remember that_ I_ honor _my_ promises."

"I'm not backing out," Greg insisted, holding his hands up in defense. "Believe me, I'm more afraid for you and your mum than my sorry arse."

"I intend to keep my mother out of this. If and only if all of this blows up in my face, only _I_ will take the heat. Even if they find some evidence you worked with me, I'll take care of everything. I haven't been planning my revenge for months for nothing, Greg. I planned _everything_ down to the last detail."

Greg felt a bit more relaxed but was unable to conceal his uneasiness that was clear as day on his face. "But I can't just let you be blamed for everything if something like that were to happen."

"You should only worry about yourself, Greg. That's how one gets ahead. Look what happened to Alaric. He let a woman make him weak." Draco glanced up at the night sky, feeling a sudden change in the climate. "It's going to rain soon. Let's head back to my villa._ Aguamenti."_ Draco pointed his wand at the fire and immediately extinguished it as a fountain of water spit out from the tip.

Greg rested his hands against his thighs as he got up, taking his empty plate with it and collected Draco's. He jerked his head in Hermione's direction.

"Do I untie her?"

"No." Draco smirked. "Let her sit and reflect on her actions for the rest of the night."

They both walked past the tree Hermione was bound to. For a brief instant, Draco's eyes met Hermione's; an unwavering light and determination in them. He scoffed and turned away. When they had gone half way toward the creek that led to his villa, he stopped walking all of a sudden as something occurred to him that he should have realized sooner.

Greg glanced over his shoulder and stared curiously at Draco. "What's wrong?"

"...There's something I have to do. You go on ahead."

Greg arched an eyebrow and looked like he wanted to inquire about it but decided against it. He gave a nod of his head.

"Alright, then."

"I'll be back soon."

"OK."

Greg kept moving on ahead toward the stream. As soon as he was out of sight, Draco started walking back toward the clearing. He glanced up at the nightsky to see heavy dark clouds rolling in and there was a full moon lighting his way. He realized it really would be incredibly stupid to leave her out during a thunderstorm. Lightning could strike near her for all he knew and then his revenge plan would have all gone to waste. He stopped at a tree about three yards away from the one Hermione was tied to. Draco climbed up the tree, effortlessly pulling himself up to sit on a high branch. From up there, he got a good view overlooking the entire clearing. He relaxed comfortably against the tree, arms crossed over his chest just as the first drop of water fell to earth. A light drizzle soon turned into a heavy downpour. Draco had quickly whipped up a barrier to keep himself from getting wet.

From his spot, he got a very good view of Hermione. Not only did he have to make sure she didn't get zapped by lightning, he had to make sure she didn't have anything clever up her sleeve to help her escape his binding. He watched as Hermione sat slumped against the tree, curling her bare feet under her as she shivered miserably in the cold rain. Draco smirked. It's just what she deserved. She was lucky he didn't hit women or else he could have given her a much worse punishment than this. Hermione suddenly tried to lunge forward, a cry of pain and frustration filling the clearing. Draco couldn't see her face since her wet curls matted her cheeks. He could see her mouth move but couldn't catch anything she said at first.

"Ron..." Hermione murmured. "Ron..."

Draco turned all the way around to face her, his long legs dangling over the thick branch as he stared intensely at her struggling form. Hermione had shakily bent her knees and pressed the balls of her feet against the roots of the tree, trying to stand up as far as the charm would allow her to. She tried lunging forward over and over again, her hands braced against the trunk for extra leverage. Lightning flashed across the sky and for an instant, Hermione had revealed a pair of hard eyes beneath her bangs.

"Ron!" she cried out.

Draco scoffed. Just what use was there in calling out to her boyfriend on an island thousands of miles away from civilization. He watched as she continued to fight against the binds.

"I never gave up on you!" she shouted. "So don't give up on me!"

Draco's eyes widened at her words. She seemed so sure that the Weasley would come for her. Impossible, though. He would kill him before he could so much as step one foot on the island. Not just that but this island wasn't trackable by any spell so long as the _Occultus Captus_ anklet remained on Hermione. His eyes narrowed as she struggled with all her might. She would only exhaust and hurt herself if she kept it up. He arched an eyebrow when he saw a snake slither toward Hermione. She stopped struggling when she felt the cold scaly skin against her own. Hermione yelped and tried to scramble away. She had seemed to have come to her senses a moment later and pressed her back hard against the trunk, twisting her neck away slowly and closed her eyes.

That was Draco's cue to jump down from the tree. He quickly scooped up a rock and tossed it at the snake. It hit its head and after a moment or two, it slithered away in the opposite direction. Hermione stared bewildered from the snake to the rock before twisting her head around quickly to try to catch a glimpse of who had thrown it. Draco quickly hid behind the large trunk of a tree. Hermione squinted through the rain and darkness, the only light showing through was a sliver of moon, partly hidden by the clouds.

"Whose out there?" Hermione called out. She drew her knees up, trying to find a more comfortable position. Silence. "Goyle? Malfoy? Please let me go. What if lightning strikes?"

_'Then you would have gotten what you deserved,'_ Draco thought, nodding his head smugly.

When Hermione saw it was a lost cause, she turned away and sighed. "...Thank you for throwing that rock. It's okay if you lie and say it was intended for me. I'm still grateful." She chuckled weakly. "You know, for a second there, I almost thought that Ron had somehow heard my call and had Apparated to me. How foolish of me. How could he possibly have heard me?"

Draco risked it by slowly peeking out from behind the tree to see Hermione's exposed neck and part of her shivering profile.

"I thought I heard his voice," Hermione whispered so low Draco almost didn't catch it. "You could've lied to me and pretended." She laughed lightly. "Now I know the liquor really must be getting to me. Your voices are distinctly different. Ron has a very warm, sweet voice. Goyle sounds like a confused man trying to sound gruff and Malfoy...well, like the cold, artistocrat he is. But there's a lot of...unspoken sadness in his voice at times. The scar in his heart is a deep one- one that I have no business comparing myself with."

Draco stared expressionlessly at the young woman speaking to the rain. His feet began moving forward out of their own accord as she spoke. It reminded him of a similar manner Alaric would speak- the way his brother had been able to read him so well without even trying. He stopped walking just as he reached behind the tree Hermione was at. It was a wide tree trunk- so wide, two people would barely be able to wrap their arms entirely around it. Reluctantly, he sat behind it, arms resting against his drawn up knees. This time he hadn't bothered with a barrier for the rain.

"It's not fair the things that happened to Malfoy. He lost his father and then his younger brother so soon after. I tried telling him about my ill mother and though he didn't scoff at her for being a weak muggle the way I figured he would have, he thinks that everyone is damned anyway. I don't see it that way. He makes it sound like we're all cursed." Hermione sighed. "I can't return what he's lost, but I can be his friend...if he'd let me. I can't imagine someone actually _wanting _to be alone. They say it's either because you have to be alone or you want to be. Rarely, if ever, is it the latter."

Draco leaned his head against the trunk, closing his eyes as he listened to the rain patter around him.

_'First Potter, now Granger. Do I have a a fucking sign on my forehead welcoming a sympathy party? The last person I'd like to seek a friend in is in Hermione Granger. Mudblood. Friend of Harry Potter. War hero. And all around do-gooder. But of course, it turns out she's not so good. And though it excited me at the thought of getting the chance to torment Granger again, some part of me was also kind of..._disappointed_ in her. It sounds strange...I don't even understand it myself. It's like...I lived thinking she was the only exception in a world of wickedness only to find out that she's just like everyone else.'_

_"_No matter how alone I feel on this island...I never stop thinking about Ron. He's what keeps me going...but it's painful knowing that I can't see him. It seems like everything reminds me of Ron and all the memories come rushing back at me. I even dream about him sometimes and there's no escaping it. It just makes me miss him more." Hermione sighed. "You must be wondering why I'm even telling you this. I guess it's just sort of comforting having someone to talk to this about. I just wonder...was it fate that brought me here? Were me, Alaric and Malfoy somehow destined to be thrust together somehow?"

The young Malfoy digested her words. He was never one to believe in fate or destiny. As far as he concerned, he was the one in charge of his path in life and nothing was ever set in stone.

"There's a lot of things in life I had to give up; furthering my education in my muggle world, my career in the Wizarding World, spending time with my friends and family...I don't intend to let go of Ron as well. Malfoy should know that."

_'Your determination is admirable...I'll give you that but it won't save you from me. You think of Weasley as some sort of fucking prince who is going to come rescue you. You're living in a fantasy and it's sad that you cling onto such hopes. I've learned since long ago to not hope for anything. You won't find yourself disappointed in the end if you don't allow yourself to hope at all.'_

"The rain...it's finally letting up," Hermione murmured.

Draco glanced up and noticed that indeed it had stopped pouring. He got to his feet after a moment and quietly started retreating to the tree he had occupied earlier. He glanced back at Hermione only to find her sound asleep, the only signs of life in her was the subtle rise of her chest and her eyelashes fluttering. Draco quickly _Scourgified_ her and himself lest either of them fall ill. He could hardly afford to let Hermione take another break from work. He climbed back up his tree, swinging himself expertly from branch to branch until he settled back in his spot. He glanced up at the night sky to be greeted by the sight of the clear sky with a moon so large and looming one could almost reach out and touch it.

_'I covet the moon while you, Alaric wish for the sun. Remember not to stand too long in your _'sun'_, it might blind you...'_

Draco recalled that conversation as if it were just yesterday. It was the last piece of advice he had given his little brother the night Lucius has beaten him nearly to an inch of his life when he found out Alaric was in love with a half-blood. Narcissa had never once glanced Alaric's way or gave any indication of caring. Draco, while physically shaken and ill, forced himself to lock eyes with Alaric's dull ones as he took every hit Lucius gave him, visibly trying hard to swallow his pain down. Draco leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes. He would have liked to have encountered Alaric at least one more time before he had passed on.

It angered him to no end that Hermione had gotten to spend a entire summer with him. He stared down at Hermione's figure with a hard expression. He had died for _her. _It wasn't fair that she was still alive while his brother was six feet under. Draco was going to make her life a living hell. He would not be weak like Alaric. He would make Hermione Granger feel the same pain his brother felt ten fold. And he would draw the torture out slowly, _agonizingly_ until he finally did the deed and took Hermione's life just as he had planned.

* * *

><p>AN: I extremely enjoyed writing the apple orchard scene. This is one scene I'd really like to see turned into a fanart- that and the rain scene. All of you please be sure to let me know if someone decides to draw these scenes or any others from my story. :) I'd really like to see my scenes drawn out. The row of apple trees represents the barrier that is literally and figuratively dividing them in case no one got that. Also, it's not supposed to be something alluring or tantalizing but more like they're each no looking "at the whole landscape, only pieces of it"- of each other.


	5. The Perks of Being Invisible

**A/N: Sorry for the super late update. My life has been pretty...crazy lately what with taking care of school stuff and trying to find a job. But I promised myself I would try to work on this fanfic as often as I could. Now that summer is in session, I should be updating more regularly from now on. **

_"You're so afraid so you try to break me. I don't wanna care and I don't wanna hate and I don't wanna see you fall to far away all because of fear." - Better ~ Plumb_

**Cracked Armor**

_Chapter 5: The Perks of Being Invisible_

The bright rays of sunlight entered through the crack of Hermione's eyelids. She winced at the intense brightness, slowly opening one eye and then the other. After taking a moment to adjust to the light, she took in her surroundings. For the first time since she had arrived to this island, she could honestly say it looked like a beautiful day. It was partly cloudy with the sun peeking out and blue jays chirping all around. The dew from the rain clung to the grass and tropical flowers like sparkling diamonds. A blue jay settled on a branch near Hermione, bobbing its head curiously in her direction. Hermione smiled up at it, before turning away and leaning back against the trunk of the tree, sighing pleasantly.

She had miraculously gone a whole night's sleep without dreaming of Ron, or anything as a matter-of-fact. It had been an almost comforting night as hard as it was to believe. For the first time, Hermione noticed the awful pounding in her head and groaned softly. So much for a beautiful day. She closed her eyes as if that would ward off the pain. Bright flashes of the rainy night before swam behind her eyelids. She remembered lightning and a snake...a rock had been thrown at the snake. A shadowy figure had been lurking around the trees, and Hermione could vaguely remember hearing someone sitting down behind her tree.

Who had it been? Greg or Draco? Surely, it hadn't been any of her friends considering that she was still as tied up now as she had been the night before. Hermione remembered she had been blathering on about something nonsensical. She couldn't remember much of what she had said...all she knew was that either way she must have mentioned Ron somehow. It was strange though, it had almost felt like the shadowy figure sitting behind her had been listening intently to each word she had said. She tried to lean forward a bit but the spell placed on her had her restrained quite well. A shadow stretched out against her lap, making Hermione sharply jerk her head up only to find Draco standing a yard away.

Draco stared down at her expressionlessly with his hands in his pockets. "Trust you slept well."

Hermione blinked. "...Well enough," she said curtly.

"Are you ready to behave or you feeling comfortable where you are?" Draco drawled.

"You want me to lie?" Hermione scoffed. "I'm not going to say that I won't try to run away because I will. Over and over again until I find my way home."

Draco narrowed his eyes a fraction. "...If that's the way you want it stay right where you are and rot for all I care."

"Oh, but you do care," Hermione said haughtily. "I only know this because you have made it explicitly clear about how you intend to drag out my stay here."

Draco reached out and pulled her upward by the collar of her blouse. "You've got a death wish, Granger?"

Hermione shrunk back but her eyes remained firmly locked on his. "I rather like living, Malfoy."

"Then why do you insist on tempting fate?"

"I'm not tempting anything. I merely wish to be away from you," Hermione said coldly.

Draco opened his mouth to retort but paused when he noticed her exposed shoulder, noticing a long scratch where a piece of her blouse had been torn off.

"What happened there?" he asked.

Hermione frowned in confusion before following his line of sight. Before Hermione could reply, Draco raised a hand to shut her up. "Never mind. I don't care. So is your wish of being away from me your roundabout way of saying you want to be untied to do some work," Draco said dryly. One side of his mouth twitched slightly into a sadistic smile. "All you have to do is say so, Granger."

"Alright. I wish to do some work around the island with Goyle as my guard," Hermione said simply with an air of dignity.

"You don't get to make that decision."

"That's right because you make all of my decisions now for me, don't you?"

"Are you unhappy with my restraint toward you?" Draco asked mockingly, squatting down in front of her, his arms hanging limply between his knees.

"You call _this_ restraint?" Hermione exclaimed, struggling to move from side to side in order to emphasize her point.

"Well, I don't exactly have you parading around in provocative Slytherin school girl attire." Draco smirked. "Or using the _Imperius_ to make you tell me all of your embarrassing secrets, am I?"

Hermione bit her lip, stewing in silence. She didn't want to say anything to provoke Draco into doing either one of those things. Merlin knows she would never live it down.

"That's what I thought. But I think maybe I'll save the second thing for later." Draco grinned. "Always save best for last."

Hermione scowled at him. "Why not just use the _Imperius_ on me to make me tell you the truth that you should already know? That I _didn't _kill Alaric."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You think I don't know that you found a way to not only counter-act the _Veratiserum_ potion but also the _Imperius?" _

"Don't be ridiculous. How could anyone-

"You've never worked at the Ministry before but you do have plenty of friends who _do_ work there. You confided in Potter and Weaselette about this. So far only the three of you know and are keeping it secret from the Ministry until you know of a sure way to make it so that everyone can resist the Imperius," Draco stated flatly.

Hermione gazed up at him in a mix of shock and horror. "How- how could you possibly know that?"

"The day that Potter crashed my father's funeral- when he reached out to shake my hand, I grabbed his and I used _Legilimency_ on him without him being aware. I saw a brief glimpse of things he had been up to recently- so brief, so inconspicuously that Potter himself had not noticed anything amiss. I saw several things. Potter standing in front of his parents grave just before coming to the funeral. One where you revealed to Potter and Weaselette of your discovery. Another one of you, the Weasel and him laughing together. Do you know what it's like seeing you through Potter's eyes?"

Hermione did not answer and merely gazed back steadily.

"He watches you with a mix of sadness and fondness. He gets joy from the fact that you're getting joy. Potter truly cherishes you," Draco noted. "Might even love you, in fact, from yours and his obvious display of..._affection_ I've seen in newspapers." He smirked, arching his eyebrows up suggestively.

"They're fake." Hermione shook her head, sighing impatiently. "Harry and I would never kiss."

Draco ignored her. "What I'm curious about is why exactly did you want to keep it a secret from the Ministry and your sorry excuse of a boyfriend?"

"I...I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. I asked Harry and Ginny to be test subjects when I made my discovery. I wanted to make it perfect so that anyone could be able to fight off the _Imperius_. When Harry and Ginny each tried a sample of the potion I made, we went at it for an hour. Harry fought it off much longer than Ginny. Harry lasted fourty one minutes and Ginny only twenty-seven. That's when I realized how different it would be for everyone. I told them to keep it a secret until I could figure out a way to stretch it out into hours. But then all of my different jobs piled up along with personal affairs...so I never found the time to work on it," Hermione said, gazing into the distance sullenly.

"Let me get this straight. From what I could make out from Potter's memories was that the _Imperius_ Counter-Attack potion has some Veritaserum potion in it and must be taken in three drops. Two by mouth and the other one is to be dropped on the forehead, where it will be absorbed into your mind. The effects will trigger only when the _Imperius_ is being used and only for a certain amount of time, am I right?"

"Precisely." Hermione frowned. "But if you only saw a glimpse of Harry's memories, then how were you able to come to such a detailed conclusion?" She narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment. "...A Penseive? You put your memories of Harry's memories in a Penseive and studied them carefully?"

"You _are _a smart one." Draco clapped his hands in a show of applause at Hermione, making her give him a dirty look. "By the way, how do I know you weren't lying about the time limit or the amount of the times it works against the _Imperius_?"

"...You don't, I suppose," Hermione murmured, staring at Draco wide-eyed.

"I see. And what exactly was in that potion?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"It could be to your advantage if you tell me." Draco smirked. "I could put your death off for a little while longer. Tempting proposition, I'm sure."

"No, thanks. I'll be free soon enough," Hermione said confidently.

Draco grabbed her chin. "Free of me? _Never._ And that's a promise."

Hermione glared at him. "For now, at least release me from these binds."

"Yes, I suppose we can't have you lazing around all day, now can we?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You call _this _lazing around?" she exclaimed.

Before Draco could answer, Greg had crossed over toward them from the open kitchen. He glanced from Draco to Hermione and back again, arching an eyebrow.

"Is she having breakfast here or in the dining room?"

Draco seemed pensive for a moment before speaking. "Yes, she'll eat with us."

He pointed his wand at Hermione and released her. Hermione fell forward with her palms resting flat against the leaf-covered ground, sighing in relief as she rolled her aching shoulders. She rose to her feet shakily, wincing when she put her weight on her twisted ankle.

Greg stepped toward her and grinned at Draco. "I'll take care of this."

"You sure?" Draco asked, sounding skeptical. "I don't want you to fuck up her ankle even further, mate. Also, heal the scratch on her shoulder. Don't want her getting infected."

"Have a little faith. I can manage a simple healing spell well enough," Greg huffed. He kneeled down in front of Hermione who lost her balance slightly and reached out blindly to catch herself. Her hand met Draco's shoulder. He glared lazily at her but said nothing and made no move to get away from her as he waited for Greg to heal Hermione's ankle.

"_Episkey_," Greg said, loud and firm, repeating it once more when he waved his wand over Hermione's scratch.

Sure enough, Hermione could feel the pain slowly ebbing away. As soon as it was gone, she removed her hand from Draco's shoulder as though she had been burned. She twisted her ankle around in slow, tentative circles and smiled at Greg in thanks.

"Good work, Greg," Draco said, patting his friend on the back.

Greg crossed his arms over his chest and looked away as if embarrassed. "It was nothing." As they started walking toward the open kitchen/dining room, Greg turned to Draco. "I saw you come inside the villa all tired a couple hours ago. You didn't happen to stay up all night, did you?"

Draco stiffened up and felt Hermione's eyes on him. "...No, I couldn't sleep most of the night so I decided to get up early and go jogging."

"Oh, nice." Greg nodded, accepting his answer. "By the way, it's the oddest thing. My wand wasn't working too well during last night's storm. I know you said that we should get used to doing things without our wands but it's near impossible to go without magic, mate."

Draco glared at Greg and Hermione watched both of them carefully to try to decipher what Greg had meant.

"A storm? Why would your magic fail during a storm?" Hermione inquired as she walked up the short steps that led to the small dining room.

"Does it matter, Granger?" Draco snapped. "Anyway, my wand worked well enough last night."

Greg frowned. "I find that hard to believe. Maybe a small spell or two but nothing more than that, surely."

"Greg, would you shut up?!"

"The Bermuda Triangle!" Hermione cried out, turning to Draco. "That's where we are, isn't it? I've read about this before!" I always that the area itself triggered people to get lost. I had no idea it had the very same affect on wands...how interesting," she whispered, more to herself.

"Nice going, Greg," Draco said dryly before facing Hermione. "So what if we are? But that knowledge won't help you. Now let's get you to eat before I change my mind." He shoved Hermione forward toward the picnic table before turning to Greg. "And think before you speak next time, got it?"

Greg nodded nervously. "Uhh...yeah, sorry about that," he said, looking down at his shoes.

Hermione's stomach growled when she saw the oatmeal along with buttered toast and biscuits scattered across the table. She hadn't had lunch or dinner yesterday so to say she was starving was putting it lightly. She sat herself down at the far end of the picnic table while Draco and Greg sat in front of her, each grabbing toast and slathering butter over them. Hermione watched as she lifted her toast to her mouth as she watched Draco scrape on some strawberry jam onto his chose. She had noticed before that he really liked his jelly, but it almost seemed a little surreal for someone like Draco to like that sort of thing. Then again Draco doing anything remotely normal would seem off.

She couldn't imagine him helping his mother out in the garden, cooking or even having a relationship with an actual woman? She remembered Astoria Greengrass being mentioned a couple of times around Draco. If she was truly in love with Draco, Hermione pitied the poor woman. She wouldn't find any love inside of Draco. No matter how much Hermione wanted to believe that Draco wasn't entirely evil, so far she had time after only seen his ugly side. He had quite possibly saved her the day before...but wasn't that just because of the plans he had for her? He made it very clear he wouldn't let her die until he was ready. Hermione wondered what it would take to get Draco to be genuinely kind?

"Why aren't you eating?" Draco asked dryly.

Hermione looked up to see him staring intently at her. "I'm eating." She lifted the toast to her mouth once more and took two hearty bites out of it. "See?"

"Good. You'll need your strength for today." Draco turned to Greg. "Any thing you'd like to make her do today? Doesn't matter how ridiculous. Actually, the more ridiculous, the better." He snickered.

Hermione rolled her eyes, deciding it would be best to ignore them as they started hatching possible idiotic ideas of what they should have her do for the day. After Draco finished eating, he got up with his plate and bowl. Hermione watched in disbelief when she saw him washing it the muggle way. She had heard Greg mention a couple of times to Draco about doing things without magic yet the idea didn't click for some reason. He claimed to hate all things muggle and yet a cold person of noble blood like him did such mundane things such as washing dishes, chopping wood and apparently cook. Shaking these thoughts out of her mind, Hermione quickly finished up before grabbing her dishes as well as Greg's to go wash them in the sink. Draco stood nearby, watching her with his arms hanging tensely at his sides. As always, he made it so difficult for Hermione to ignore him. As soon as Hermione finished drying the last dish, Draco was hauling her across the short expanse of the kitchen/dining room and down the short steps.

"You still don't understand when I say I'm capable of walking on my own, do you?" Hermione asked, glancing behind her to see Greg following close behind.

"Actually, all I really hear is an annoying buzzing sound each time you open your mouth."

Hermione stared down in annoyance at the pale hand clutching her wrist. She remembered very little of last night only that last night was the first of many she hadn't felt alone. She wondered now if maybe she had just imagined the prescence of someone nearby last night. No...it definitely wasn't her imagination. When a snake had been close to biting her, a rock had come come out of nowhere and scared the snake off. The longer Hermione stared at Draco's hand on her, the more she wondered whether he had done it to prolong her torture or if it was simply an act of mercy. Greg's earlier comment about Draco being out all night came back to Hermione. Maybe it had been Draco after all.

She turned her gaze from Draco's hand to his back, remembering the warmth on her back from the feeling of knowing someone was near. He had managed to keep the nightmares away. Hermione tightened her free hand into a fist. But that didn't have to mean anything...even if there was a little bit of good in Draco, that didn't mean she had to overthink it. The fact of the matter was that she needed to get home and soon. So deep in thought, Hermione barely noticed that the three of them had already made it to the front steps of Draco's patio. They walked across the expanse of the patio and Hermione gasped when she saw the clothes from yesterday completely soaked by the rain. She was about to rush over to them when Draco tightened his hold on her wrist and gave her a long look.

"Leave them."

Draco pointed his wand at the clothes and did a quick drying and mending spell. The clothes disappeared to where Hermione presumed must have been Draco's room or closet. Hermione was then ushered inside the villa and into the kitchen. Draco _'Accio'_ed all the necessary objects for baking before turning to gaze sharply at Hermione.

"Greg had decided he wants you to make many cookies and cupcakes. When you are finished, I want you to alphabetize my potions, dust every room in the house etc."

"How many cookies and cupcakes exactly?" Hermione asked amiaby enough.

Draco arched one delicate brow. "As many as Greg sees fit. Now get to it." He turned to Greg this time who had been smirking at Hermione. "I'll be in my study signing some paperwork. Knock if you need me."

* * *

><p>Greg leaned against the steel island counter as he looked Hermione's way, watching closely as she started to pour ingredients into a large metal bowl.<p>

"I'll start on the cookies first." Hermione peered up at Greg tentatively as she picked up a long wooden spoon. "Is that alright?"

Greg shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

Hermione went to wash her hands first before beginning to mix the ingredients together with her spoon.

"Hey, why don't you tell me about yourself, Goyle? Just until Draco comes back," Hermione exclaimed cheerfully, looking at Greg over her shoulder.

"And why would I do that?" he scoffed.

"Because it's not like either of us have anything better to do. And before you even go there, I'm not attempting to use my so-called _'feminine wiles'_ on you to escape or trying to get any information out of you. I just want to know more about you," Hermione said simply, giving Greg a sincere look.

"...You're that desperate, aren't you?" Greg sounded amused.

Hermione shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I am. I mean, I haven't had a decent conversation in over a week. Just humor me, ok?"

"Draco-

"Is busy in his study," Hermione finished. "We don't know how long he'll take. Might as well have a little chat until then so you won't have to get bored."

"Well, I guess there's no harm in it," Greg said hesitantly. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed as he pulled up a seat for himself at the island. ""Hey, aren't you still pissed about Draco and me making you chug down alcohol yesterday?"

"Of course I am but I'm willing to put that aside for now so that I can have a real conversation with you."

"So...what do you wanna know?"

"Anything you want. Favorite color? Hobbies?"

"I only really have one particular hobby but I'm not sure about sharing it with you."

"Oh, come on, please tell me!" Hermione insisted, smiling widely.

Hermione couldn't believe it but Greg actually started blushing.

"Well, I..." Greg just shook his head.

"Tell me, I'm sure it's a great hobby."

"It's embarrassing for a man, alright?!" Greg grit his teeth. "I...I like to write poetry sometimes," he mumbled. When Hermione gawked at him, he continued. "People have called me stupid for most of my life. I'm not very good at poetry. I'm not very good at anything, really. I don't bother rhyming or making it fancy or nothing special, but I just...I don't know, I just like writing poetry."

Hermione smiled. "It really is a great hobby. I've read plenty of poetry but I've never tried to write my own. Maybe you could show me some of your poetry sometime?

Greg stared at her as if he had been waiting for her to laugh. "Like I said, it's nothing to fuss over." He shrugged.

"Has Draco read them?"

"Hell no!"

"Why? He's your friend."

Greg shook his head and scowled at her. "Understand that it's not manly. And you'd better not tell Draco about this or else."

"Yes, of course."

Greg arched an eyebrow. "Of course you will or of course you won't?"

Hermione laughed lightly. "I mean of course that I won't, silly. Now you can ask me anything you want."

"Anything?" Greg asked, sounding smug.

"Nothing too personal," Hermione said, holding up her index finger in warning.

Greg rolled his eyes. "I just told you something personal about me."

"Well..." Hermione bit her lip. "I guess it's only fair."

"Hmm..." Greg rubbed his chin in thought before leaning back in his seat and staring up at the ceiling. "I have to make this good...How about you tell me the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?"

It was Hermione's turn to roll her eyes. "Is that all you've got? You were present the day I was publicly humiliated."

"I was?"

"Yes. This was back during our fourth year at Hogwarts. I ended up with beaver teeth by accident, remember?"

Greg slapped his knee and howled with laughter. "That's right! How could I have forgotten? You looked fucking hilarious!"

"Moving on," Hermione said irritably as she poured the batter into small clumps on the cooking sheet. She handed Greg the wooden spoon covered in batter. "My turn to ask a question. "What is your greatest goal in life?"

Greg rolled his neck a bit before accepting the wooden spoon. "Umm...well, I guess what I want is pretty much what everyone wants. I want to find someone special to spend my life with."

Hermione smiled at this. "I'm sure you'll find the perfect girl most suited to you. What kind of girl do you like?"

"_My_ turn to ask a question," Greg said through narrowed eyes. "What is that third job that is vaguely mentioned in your file?"

"My third job?" Hermione blinked slowly, contemplating exactly what to tell him. She knew she couldn't bring up Pansy. "...I'm a housekeeper. I work for an upperclass wizarding family."

"Anyone I know?"

Hermione quickly shook her head. "No. No. I don't think so. Erm...they're half-blood."

Greg scoffed. "_You?_ Scrubbing someone elses' toilets?" He snorted. "Shouldn't you be off putting criminals in Azkaban along with other Aurors or finding a cure for Dragon Pox or you know...something great?"

"It's...complicated," Hermione said with a heavy sigh. Her brows furrowed as she carefully placed both trays of cookies into the oven. She stoked the fire a bit before closing the oven door. "It involves my mother being ill and me owing my life to my employer. All the jobs I have are to take care of my mother and father who fell into debt and needed help making ends meet."

"How long have you owed this person?" Greg asked with interest, licking the batter off of his spoon.

Hermione wanted to mention that it was her turn to ask him something but decided against it.

"It's been about a year."

Greg handed the wooden spoon back to Hermione who dumped it into the sink. He arched an eyebrow as he swung an arm behind his seat lazily.

"And just how long is enough to pay someone back for saving your life?"

"As long as it takes." Hermione smiled warmly. "But I'm fine with it. Whatever I can do that helps my parents in the process is worth it. I don't hate working for my employer. We actually get along just fine."

"Hmm...if things could have gone differently between you and Draco, he probably could have loaned or maybe even given you the money in exchange for a favor," Greg said, looking pensively up at the ceiling.

Hermione shook her head. "I've been offered help from all of my friends but..." She closed her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath before opening them and giving Greg her best sunny smile. "This is something I just have to do on my own. I can't rely on others. I would never want to be a burden to anyone."

"Ever the noble Gryffindor," Greg said with a sigh.

"It's not about being noble." Hermione leaned against the counter with her arms folded over her chest. "It's about being independent and being strong enough to stand on my own two feet. I love my friends far too much to let my problems become theirs."

"It still sounds noble to me but it also sounds...I don't know like something a martyr would do."

"A martyr?" Hermione choked out incredulously.

"Yeah."

"I am _not_ a martyr."

"Seems that way to me."

"I'm not," Hermione said sharply. She wasn't a martyr, she was just independent. Regardless, she refused to discuss this matter any further. It just hurt way too much. "Look, I need to use the lou. I'll be right back."

"Alright," Greg said, standing up ram rod straight.

Hermione gave him a dry side-wayslook. "I mean _alone_. I'm- I feel kind of sick."

"What's wrong?" Greg asked, surprising Hermione by sounding the slightest bit concerned.

"I..." Hermione glanced around the kitchen as if it had her answer before meekly turning back at Greg. "I think it might be _that_ time of the month." She gave him an awkward look before staring at her feet. A few moments later, a look of realization dawned in Greg's eyes. "There, you forced me to say it. I just need a little bit of privacy. Just- just please take care of the cookies and I'll be back soon. Alright?" At the wary look she received from Greg, she quickly added, "It's not like I can escape, right? Draco's also in the house. I kind of have to get past Draco's study in order to get to and from the lou, right?"

Greg seemed to relax somewhat. "I suppose. Just don't take too long or...you know the drill."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You'll drag me out by force. Got it."

She exited the kitchen and entered the lavish parlor, taking a right down the equally lavish long corridor. It was dimly lit, an amber glow hovering just ahead. She could actually feel the softness of the black velvet carpeting through her sandals. Hermione kept her eyes solely on the long carpet to avoid the stares she get from the portraits on either side of her. They were not the enchanted kind but she could almost feel their eyes following her movements. When her eyes strayed from the carpet, she regretted it instantly when she looked to her left and saw a picture of Narcissa and Bellatrix. Hermione pressed her hand to her mouth to smother the sob that was brought on at seeing Bellatrix's face. She clenched her eyes shut, refusing to let a single tear escape. She took slow, shuddering breaths to calm herself as she continued walking down the hallway.

As Hermione drew closer, she saw that there door was a door left slightly ajar. She peeked inside to see Draco meticulously scribbling something down on some parchment. It didn't seem as though he had noticed her presence at all. Hermione quickly backed away from the door and continued down the hall in the direction of the lou. Draco's room was just a few doors down...and his shelf was stocked with all sorts of potions. Maybe one of those potions could help her escape. Hermione quickly edged closer to Draco's room. When her hand wiggled the knob, she nearly a breathed a sigh of relief when she found that it was unlocked. She opened the door as quietly as humanly possible.

Hermione poked her head inside first before quickly walking in and shutting the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the room, landing on the shelf of potions. She practically flew across the room to reach them. Her hands idly ran over each potion bottle. There was some for colds, some for bruising, one when you get splinched and plenty of polyjuice potions. There was even one for a hangover but that one was entirely empty. Hermione deadpanned when she saw this. Draco obviously had nothing better to do than order her around and getting smashed all the time. Her hands kept perusing the multi-colored bottles. There had to be _something_ here that could help her. She froze suddenly as a smile stretched out across her face. If she remembered reading correctly, when the scents of polyjuice mixed together with other potions, they have a certain affect on those that inhale their fumes.

Quick as lightning, she started knocking over a many potion bottles as she could. The shards of glass across the floor grew more and more, clouds of red, blue, green and purple swirled together, rapidly filling the room with it. As it enveloped Hermione like a phantom's cape, she could see the door opening to reveal Greg's shocked expression as he rushed forward to grab her.

* * *

><p>"Draco!"<p>

The door to Draco's study burst open, making Draco's head snap up to glare at Greg for interrupting his work.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently, letting his quill pen fall onto his desk with a clatter.

"We were in the kitchen and- and then she asked to go to the lou s-so I-I said yes. Then-then there were clouds of smoke everywhere and she disappeared and- and then-"

"You're not making sense. What _exactly_ happened?" Draco demanded, standing up.

Greg looked away guiltily. "While the cookies were baking, she asked if she could use the lou so I let her go...but she ended up sneaking into your room. She knocked over your potions. The fumes mixed together and they've turned her invisible. I know sorry's not gonna cut it, Draco," Greg said, sounding truly sorry. "I'll take care of this. I've already sealed every door and window," he stated.

Draco nodded, setting his jaw. "Fine. We'll discuss this later."

Greg turned on his heel and exited the room. "Come out, Granger if you know what's good for you." Draco followed Greg out of the room, shoulders tense. "She had better still be in the house for your sake."

"She- she is! I-I think she is!" Greg stuttered as he stumbled.

"How do you know?"

"I don't know for sure but I'm about ninety-nine percent positive she's still in here." Greg stared certainly at Draco. "I _will_ fix this, mate. Just trust me."

"How do you suppose you'll do that?" Draco asked, bemused.

Greg rubbed his forehead and nearly laughed at himself for thinking so hard. He rubbed his temples and cringed as he felt Draco's powerful stare on him.

"...Flour," Greg said quietly. He finally locked gazes with Draco. "We could try flour maybe? Lots of it. We'll cover the floor of every room in flour. We'll be able to tell where she is by her footsteps on it."

"Alright, hurry and bring as many bags of flour as possible."

"Right on it."

Greg bounded past the steaming Malfoy who stayed in the living room. His arms were crossed over his chest and his nails were biting into his arms. Damn that stupid Granger. Just wait until he got his hands on her, he'd strangle that neck of hers'. Draco glanced around the room, staying as absolutely still as he could, trying to detect any sound at all. Greg came running back into the room with several large bags of flour in his arms. He tossed them onto the ground, savagely ripping one open, making flour go flying everywhere. Draco raised his arms to cover his face and glared at Greg.

"Watch it!" he barked.

"Sor-

Draco raised a hand to silence him as he glanced around the room.

"Did you hear that?"

Greg stood absolutely still. "...It's coming from down the hall."

"Don't let her get away, Greg."

With an affirmative nod, Greg took off down hall, spilling flour purposely as he went. Draco carefully opened his own flour bag and spread it all over the parlor before setting off down the hall. He could hear the struggle going on.

"She's in here!" Greg shouted.

Draco bounded into the room, making sure to block the doorway with his body. Greg glanced around haphazardly, swinging his bag of flour around everywhere. That was when Draco felt something brushing against his trousers. Scowling, he reached down to grab the sneaky little Gryffindor trying escape between his legs. Hermione shrieked and Draco knew he must have touched some forbidden part of her body. He felt a kick against his arse, sending him tumbling forward.

Draco snarled. "That bitch!"

"You alright?" Greg asked, rushing over to him.

"Forget me, after her!" Draco yelled, rising to his feet. He glanced at the left side of the hall, seeing that Hermione hadn't stepped onto the flour, clearly seeing only his and Greg's larger shoe prints. He stepped into the hallway, listening when he heard the rattling of a doorknob, only to be tripped by an invisible foot upon entering his parents' room.

Draco growled. "That's it! That bitch is dead. No one makes a fool out of me."

Draco bumped into Greg in his way out. Before he could growl for him to get out of his way, Greg lifted up an open book.

"Mirrors. We need to cover the walls in mirrors. If we can hold her long enough to get her to face her own reflection, it will reverse the invisibility effects."

A half-smile quirked on Draco's lips. "Good work, Greg. Let's do it."

Draco tapped his wand along each wall and turned them into mirrors. He raced into the parlor, grinding his teeth. Greg pressed his back against Draco's as they stood in the center of the parlor, wand at the ready.

"Just give it up, Granger! I don't have time for this shit!"

"Maybe if you offer a lighter punishment?" Greg suggested.

"No fucking way! I'm gonna enjoy every _minute_ of her suffering."

The sound of a large thud sounded across the other side of the room. Draco looked at the flour scattered everywhere and saw no sign of footprints.

"She must have taken a pretty big leap," Greg said, sounding a little impressed.

"She's in the kitchen."

Draco bounded toward the kitchen, throwing open the swinging doors and narrowly avoided a frying pan to the face. He growled and rolled away, pressing his back against the island counter. He watched Greg manage to catch two pots from slamming into his face. Draco yelped when he felt a hand grip his ankle and start to drag him across the kitchen. He grabbed onto the edge of an open cabinet door as he felt a continuous tug. When he reached out with one hand, he felt the hold over his ankle immediately recede. A series of footsteps suddenly sounded on top of the island counter. Greg let out a shout as he threw himself onto it, managing to knock down the invisible Hermione with an audible _'ooph'_. Greg held onto her tightly, her invisible form pressed against his chest.

"Got her," Greg growled out.

Just as Draco rose to his feet, he felt invisible feet kick at his chest. He scowled as he held her ankles firmly, fingers digging so deep into her skin, he was sure he would leave bruises.

"Carry her to my bedroom," Draco snarled. "Keep a tight hold of her."

"Right."

They walked across the flour-covered living room and hallway, Hermione fighting them the entire way.

As soon as they entered Draco's room, he instantly told Greg, "Lock the door with your wand. I'll tell you when to give her to me."

Keeping one brawny arm around Hermione, Greg used his wand to shut the door. He shook the doorknob to test it and let out a brief sigh of relief. He had miraculously gotten the spell right somehow.

"Alright..." Draco went to stand two feet away from Greg. "Now."

As soon as Greg had let Hermione go, Draco snatched her away quick as lightning. He had his arms wrapped around her middle as he dragged her to his transfigured mirror wall.

"Right into your enemy's arms, how fitting," Draco breathed into her ear. "Look into the mirror, love. There's no other way out of this room so you might as well do as I say."

Hermione only struggled harder to get away, her elbow jabbing into Draco's ribs. Draco hissed before grabbing Hermione's arms and locking them behind her in a brutal hold.

"Oh, maybe I should just start undressing you," Draco said casually as if he were merely commenting on the weather. He smirked. "You're not much to look at in these clothes but maybe the rest of you is more..._interesting_."

Hermione made an indignant sound. "You're sick!"

"I go only as far as you push me, darling. Isn't that also what you said before? Now _obey_ me and we'll talk about your punishment," Draco said in a mocking business-like tone.

Hermione stiffened but said nothing, remaining silently stubborn and defiant.

Draco arched an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm bluffing?" He found her stomach and started sliding Hermione's blouse up, inch by inch. Hermione gasped sharply and put her hand over his to stop his ascension, holding it firmly in her grasp.

"A Malfoy never makes bluffs, Granger. We always mean what we say. Now look into the _fucking_ mirror!" Draco growled.

A few seconds later, Hermione must have done as she was told because she started to materialize in front of Draco's eyes. Hermione looked away, her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet red. Her chest was rising heavily as she watched Draco through the mirror.

"Let go of me, you bastard," Hermione spat out.

"With pleasure." Draco shoved her onto the floor, scrunching up his face as if she offended him. He then turned to face Greg with a grim expression. "Any ideas on what her punishment should be?"

Greg leaned against the door, chewing the inside of his mouth in thougt. "Umm.. well, Granger still needs to finish baking and decorating the cookies and cupcakes. Then we can have her clean up your villa and after that, maybe you can finally go through with your pier idea."

A slow smirk started on Draco's face as he looked over at Hermione who was rising to her feet, dusting the flour off of her capris."Good thinking. I've been itching to try that."

* * *

><p>Harry and Ginny paused outside of his and Ron's flat so he could dig through his pocket for his keys. Ginny placed a hand on his arm to stop him with a soft smile.<p>

"Harry, thank you so much for today. I know your busy work schedule rarely allows you to have days off and when you do...well, I know you'd rather be spending the day relaxing at home."

Harry put a hand under her chin so that they now locked gazes. "Are you kidding? Any chance I get to see you is worth it. Besides, I also knew that you had been wanting to see that art gallery for a while."

Ginny nodded solemnly. "Hermione was supposed to come. I remember we ordered tickets a month in advance."

Harry grabbed her hand, clasping it tightly in both of hi. "I'm sure Hermione would have wanted you to still go. You know how she is." Harry grinned. "She stresses out when others stress out about her." He held up one hand to silence any of Ginny's protests. "We both know that if there was anything we could do before the next full moon we would. Even without her wand, Hermione is a fighter. One of the best with those brains of hers."

Ginny quirked her head to one side as she bit her lip in frustration. "I know, it's just...hard to be so patient." She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away. "I hate feeling so vulnerable by not knowing whether she's alright or not."

"She is," Harry said with utmost confidence. "Don't you think that somehow you'd feel the world had stopped? The way I'd feel if I lost you." He pressed his forehead against Ginny's and smiled. "That's how I know that Hermione is still alive because I haven't felt that once all this time."

Ginny felt a smile tug on her lips. "You always know what to say somehow."

She grabbed the back of his neck and planted a firm kiss on his lips. Harry reacted almost instantly, angling his head one way to kiss her deeper. He grabbed her upper arms and pushed her against the door. Ginny gasped into Harry's mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him as close to her as possibly. She smiled against his lips as she ran a hand through his shaggy hair. Their moment was short-lived as they felt the door give away. They cried out simultaneously as they fell to the ground to see an amused Ron staring at them as he leaned against the doorframe.

"My bad. I thought it was the pizza delivery guy," Ron said wryly.

Harry looked from Ginny to Ron with a panicky expression. "Uhh umm w-we were just-"

Ron laughed. "Relax, mate. But seriously, take it somewhere else, guys."

Ginny climbed off of Harry and helped him to his feet. She crossed her arms and smirked.

"You're just jealous."

"Of seeing my best friend make out with my sister? Ugh. No way." Ron scrunched his face up with disgust. "You're lucky it's Harry you're dating and not some other wanker or else I'd-

Ginny arched an eyebrow at him. "You'd what? Sulk and pout around him to death?" She patted Ron's shoulder. "Simmer down, big brother," she said mockingly.

Harry shut the door behind them, his face slightly flushed. His ears perked up at the sound of t.v. and voices in the living room.

"I asked Neville and Luna over to hang out and also to tell them something big that happened last night. But I wanted to wait until all of you were here," Ron said.

Neville and Luna were deeply immersed in a conversation about mistletoe and gnargles when Harry, Ginny and Ron entered the living room. They wore matching smiles when they noticed their friends.

"Glad you could join us," Luna said, tucking her legs under her as she sipped her tea. "Ron said he had some big news. It all sounds so exciting."

Ron grabbed the remote and shut off the t.v. "Oh, it's big, Luna. Trust me."

"Well, you're killing us with the suspense, just tell us already," Neville said with a grin.

Ron looked at his friends somberly. "You guys, last night I...I saw Hermione."

For a moment, they all merely stared in quiet shock before Harry finally decided to speak up.

"Ron, are you sure you weren't just dreaming?" Harry asked tentatively.

Ron shook his head. "It wasn't a dream. It felt like...a mind link. It was raining really hard...and I remember seeing Hermione tied to a tree and calling out for me. I tried calling back to her but she couldn't seem to see or hear me. It was like I was invisible or something."

"Ron..." Ginny said uneasily. "I know you miss her but-

"I didn't imagine her!" Ron shouted. "I can prove it."

He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of blue and white clothing with mud and leaves on it. "There was a low branch hanging near Hermione that tore this off in her struggle to get free. I tried to reach out for her but I couldn't physically touch her. It felt like some sort of barrier was preventing me from entering a ring around the tree. When the shirt tore, that piece flew out of the barrier and I caught it. I woke up with it in my hand this morning."

He let the piece of clothing flutter down onto the coffee table. "It's Hermione's. No doubt about it."

Luna got off from the couch to kneel in front of it to inspect the cloth. She brushed off some pieces of leaves on it, her thumb rubbing over the thin material.

"It appears that there's a bit of blood on this." She pointed her wand at it, murmuring a spell under her breath. Her wand emitted a glow from the tip as it touched the cloth. "...It really is Hermione's."

Neville turned to Ron with a look of alarm. "Did you see anyone else with Hermione?"

Ron put his hands to temple and closed his eyes in deep thought. "There _was_ someone else there...I remember a shadowy figure coming from behind Hermione. I didn't see him or her clearly but there was a very brief moment when I saw they had light blue or gray eyes, it was kind of hard to tell with the atmosphere."

Ginny sighed. "Ron, that could be anyone."

"Not just anyone." Ron narrowed his eyes. "Malfoy. Who else do we know that's famous for having gray eyes?"

It was Harry's turn to interject. "Ron, Ginny is right. Gray eyes may be the signature Malfoy feature but that doesn't mean it's them. Plus, like you said, they could have been a light blue color," he pointed out. He got up to put his hand on Ron's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look. "Besides, I've spoken with Narcissa already. She has assured me that she and Malfoy are on their best behavior. She even let me check her wand for any evil spells. There were none. In fact, it looks like she's barely used her wand at all lately."

Ron roughly shrugged off Harry's hand with a glare. "What about Malfoy? Get a chance to talk to him by any chance?" he asked bitterly.

"No, I haven't. Narcissa said he was away on business with a fiancée or something like that."

Neville arched an eyebrow. "Since when does he have a fiancée? Wouldn't word have gone out about it by now? Where the Malfoys are concerned, none of their affairs can be kept secret from the public."

"Perhaps it was a very quiet, very brief engagement," Luna suggested, still looking at the torn cloth on the coffee table. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was an arranged marriage since pureblood rarely wed for love. It must have been something out of the blue for Malfoy. It might be that he's on this business trip with his fiancée to try to get to know her better."

"Gag me, are we actually talking about Draco fucking Malfoy's relationships?" Ron twisted his face in disgust. "Anyway, how do we really know he's engaged to some bimbo? What if it's just a cover up story he told his mother?"

Neville blinked. "Even if that were true, we have no evidence to go by that he is the one that kidnapped Hermione.

"It's entirely possible that it could be him," Ron ground out, balling his hands into fists.

Harry sighed. "Let's just be rational about this. I already told Narcissa to contact me as soon as Draco got home so that I could question him myself."

"And do you really think that she'll honestly tell you when he gets back?" Ron crossed his arms of over his chest disdainfully. "Why are you defending them so much, Harry? Good behavior or not these recent years, those people will always be our enemies! Some people are just incapable of changing."

"Stop it." Harry frowned deeply. "People _can_ change. You just need to give them the chance to."

"Look, it's great that you want to try to be Draco's mate but I'm not gonna force myself to fake a smile and act friendly toward such a cowardly right wanker like him!"

"Then don't." Harry grabbed both of Ron's upper arms and forced him to look him square in the eyes. "Don't trust Malfoy. Trust _me_." Harry's eyes softened. "I know how worried you are about Hermione but Neville is right, we can't be pointing fingers like this without actual proof. Just trust me when I say I will investigate this _thoroughly_. But if we're going to do this, we need to leave Draco last for questioning. He is still in mourning. I think this is the least we can do."

Ron grumbled something under his breath before heaving a subdued sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I just want someone to blame. I need answers and it just seems easier to blame a former school enemy and Death Eater."

"I know, I understand that feeling all too well." Harry smiled pleasantly. "I say we should start with the list of suspects Luna wrote for us yesterday. I am free for the rest of today and tomorrow and so is Ginny, I believe." He turned to Ron. "While Ginny and I do our investigations from the list, how about you, Neville and Luna investigate Nocturn Alley. That was the last place she was seen, after all."

"We already tried before," Neville said with exasperation. "Nothing but crazies there. We can't expect an honest to Merlin response from any of them."

Luna grabbed her purse and dumped all of its strange objects onto the couch before grabbing a blue potion bottle and holding it up in triumph.

"No, Harry's right. We should give Nocturn Alley I had thought about this earlier today so I packed some Veritaserum this time.

Ron grabbed the bottle of Veritaserum from Ginny with a grin. "I know I've said this before Luna but you are a _genius_."

Harry glanced around at his friends. "So it's settled then. We have decided on who is teaming up with. Let's split up now and meet back here in five hours."

* * *

><p>Hermione stiffened against the massive leg of the pier as the turquoise waters continued their push and pull dance against her. It was up to her chest by now and Draco was sitting right above her at the very edge of the pier.<p>

"The tides are coming up pretty fast, wouldn't you say?" Draco asked conversationally.

Hermione looked up to smile saccharinely at him. "A little water never harmed anyone."

"For now, at least. Tell me, Granger, how long are you gonna keep up this brave charade? I know it's like every Gryffindork's thing to laugh in the face of danger but there's only so long you can keep it up." Draco leaned back on his palms and rolled his eyes. "I mean surely you don't still think there's good in me, do you?" He let out a bark of a laugh.

"Maybe I do," Hermione stated.

"Based on _what_ exactly?" Draco asked dryly.

"Someone helped me last night...they threw a rock at a snake that could have bit me. I'm almost positive that it was you. If it was you then I know that there is just the smallest shred of goodness in you."

"Sounds like some lame dream you had. I wouldn't think much of it if I were-

"I thought it was a dream too originally since I was in a drunk state but something tells me it wasn't a dream at all. You keep saying you want to keep me alive to make me suffer longer. That snake would have bit me and I would have been dead by morning. If you truly wanted me to suffer, you would have let the snake bite me so that I could suffer for hours before you provided the antidote at the last minute. But you didn't do that, you drove the snake away. Funny," she said dryly. "A snake driving away a snake," she murmured, amused.

"Keep dreaming, you little mudblood. As if someone like me would ever stoop as low as helping someone like you."

"I know there's good in you," Hermione whispered. "You just have to let it out, Malfoy. It's never too late to change things around. Please show me I'm not wrong by untying me and letting me go home."

Suddenly Draco's face appeared mere centimeters away from Hermione's face as his torso hung upside down from the pier.

"Oh, I can assure you just how wrong you really are," Draco murmured darkly.

"Malfoy...I know you're hurting from what happened to Alaric but I need you to know again just how special Alaric was to me," Hermione said sincerely, never looking away from his steel gray eyes. "We were like kindred spirits. There are few people that truly understand me and he was one of them. He was a good, gentle soul. I never would have wanted him to suffer or wished such a fate a horrible as the one he experienced."

Draco suddenly moved out of Hermione's view and jumped down from the pier, splashing water everywhere as he landed. He turned around to face Hermione with a hostile look, every nerve in his body tensing up.

"Then why did you toy with him? Why did you drive him to suicide?" Draco demanded. "What kind of person repeatedly cheats on someone they really care about? He had..." Draco sighed, his face stricken. Hermione's eyes widene at the naked pain she saw displayed before her. "Some pretty deep feelings for you, Granger," he said begrudgingly.

"I can promise you that Alaric never had those kinds of feelings for me. We met and hung out for one summer. That was the last I saw him before the war started. Then a few months ago I ran into him at one of my jobs. He then started dating-" Hermione stopped herself when she noticed how intently Draco was staring at her. "He...started dating some girl from the Ministry. We kept in touch but we started seeing less and less of each other. I only found out about his death when you told me about it, I swear," Hermione said sadly.

"Your word means nothing to me, Granger. But I'll humor you for a moment. Let's say he was dating this woman. Then what? Care to explain why he kept those pictures of you?"

"I _told_ you," Hermione said, sighing impatiently. "He was just using me as a model. That was it. I don't understand why you so stubbornly refuse to see the truth standing right in front of you." Hermione frowned. "Just think about it for a second. I've asked you this before and I'll ask again, does it really make sense for me of all people to do something like shun Alaric's feelings so shallowly only for him to poison himself?"

"Please, separate your war hero status from your pathetic love life," Draco said with narrowed eyes. "Let it be known that the suffering won't end if you don't admit what you did to Alaric. If you don't come clean then I'll have to find other ways to make you. I'll start going after your friends one by one. I'll save your little impotent boyfriend for last. How do you like that?"

Hermione gasped. "Don't you dare bring them into this! This has nothing to do with them."

"I'll do whatever the hell I want, Granger," he said, letting go of Hermione's chin with a thrusting motion. "I am a Malfoy and we Malfoys always get what we want."

Hermione bit her lip. "What if- what if that's not really what you want? What will you do after you kill me and my friends?" There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. "It will _never_ bring Alaric back. He would have been against this from the beginning. He was never the kind of man who would have wanted revenge or for others to seek revenge for him, and if you truly share the same blood as him, you will let me go," Hermione pleaded.

Draco gave her a long stare before looking down at the water as if contemplating her words. "...I'll tell you what I'll get- the satisfaction of seeing you suffer right until the very end. That will be enough for me."

He started walking away from Hermione, completely soaked but didn't seem to care as he trudged through the water to get to shore. Hermione watched his back with a mix of sadness and frustration. It was odd for her to notice Draco's back now of all times- it was a back that always seemed to look terribly lonely. Even now with all this black hate she had for Draco Malfoy, she hated herself most of all for still feeling even the slightest twinge of sympathy for him.

* * *

><p>Cho Chang, Lavender Brown and Romilda Vane had so far been eliminated from Ginny's list of suspects. It was without a doubt the most awkward thing for Ginny to have to talk one of Harry's ex-girlfriends along with the girl who had flirted shamelessly with Harry during their Hogwarts years. Ginny could still remember how the slag had gone as far as giving Harry love potion-laced chocolates even though it had been Ron that had ended up consuming them. Pansy Parkinson was the next one on the list for interrogation. When she felt the start of a drizzle, she hastily rolled up her parchment and stuffed it inside the purse her mother had made for her.<p>

Harry held an umbrella over Ginny's head, ever the gentleman.

"Looks like Romilda is innocent," Harry said, sounding frustrated as he stared up at the gray sky.

Ginny turned to look at him. "I'd hardly call her innocent. Did you see the way she was practically throwing herself at you in that shop?" She huffed, wrapping her arms around her herself and huddling deeper into her purple coat.

Harry grinned. "Yes but did you also see the way I pointedly ignored her? Come on, let's just move onto the next suspect. Who is it by the way?"

"Pansy Parkinson," Ginny said, still sounding sour.

Harry cupped one of her cheeks as it started raining harder, raindrops bursting like clear fireworks on cobblestones all around them. He pressed a tender kiss against her forehead.

"You're adorable," he said with a half smile. He held her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. "Let's get going. After we finish interrogating Parkinson, we can call it a day and continue our search tomorrow."

"Alright, I suppose," Ginny said, squeezing his hand as they Disapparated.

They appeared on the front steps of Pansy's mansion. It was a large pale yellow Victorianesque manor with gleaming crystal windows and perfectly trimed rose hedges surrounding it. Two large Greek inspired angels seemed to stand guard on either side of the cherrywood doors. Harry wrapped the Invisibility cloak around himself, disappearing in a swirl of velvet.

Ginny snorted. "It hardly compares to pictures I've seen of the Malfoy Manor."

"Regardless, let's get this over with. Shall we?"

Ginny nodded as she started walking up the steps of the mansion. She grabbed the large golden knocker and knocked thrice. A few moments later a meek-looking house elf appeared.

"H-hello. How may I help you?"

"Hi there," Ginny said breezily. "We were- ahem_ I_ was wondering if I could speak to Pansy," she said, internally berating herself for almost giving them away before they'd even made it through the door.

"One moment please while I ask my mistress if she's in the mood for company."

Ginny nodded as the door closed. "Think she'll try to hide from us?" she whispered to Harry.

"If she has truly done nothing wrong then there's no reason for her to do so."

A few moments later, the elf appeared again at the door. "Miss Parkinson will see you now."

Ginny smiled endearingly at the elf as she stepped inside. "Thank you."

"May I take your coat?"

"Oh, no. That's fine. I won't be staying long."

The elf returned the smile and led her to the parlor where Pansy was playing the piano. She glanced up when Ginny walked in and gave her an odd look.

"So it's true. The Weaslette herself has come to my home." She stood up from her bench, smoothing down her white silk skin-tight dress. "What brought this unexpected visit?

Ginny went for her best cheerful smile, hoping it didn't look too forced. "Well, it's regarding Hermione-

"Of course it is," Pansy said airly, waving her hand for Ginny to take a seat on one of her black leather couches. "I do hope you can tell Hermione that missing over a week of work is inexcusable. Tell her, unless she has broken every bone in her body or has contracted a fatal illness, that I will not codone such behavior." She examined her manicured nails with deep interest. "Tell her if she still hopes to keep her job, she had better get it together and come straight here at once."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Ginny quickly jumped in as she sat across from Pansy. "Hermione is missing."

Pansy's eyes widened, kettle pausing mid-way as she poured herself some tea. "Oh...oh, my."

"Yeah...she went missing the night she was going to attend my birthday party. I was wondering if you knew anything about that."

"Know anything?" Pansy scoffed. She finished pouring herself some tea before pouring some for Ginny. "The last time I saw her was the morning that same day. Hermione was whipping me up some of her delectable omelettes. She reminded me about your little party and then we started talking about your brother."

"What _about_ Ron?" Ginny asked uneasily.

"Just that it seemed like he might propose to her." Pansy shrugged. "They had been dating an awful long time and he had called Hermione to meet him for breakfast, claiming there was something urgent he wanted to tell her. Naturally, I assumed marriage was in Hermione's future. Was I wrong?"

"Umm...well, putting Ron aside," Ginny said, quickly evading the question. "Did she mention anything about meeting anyone or going anywhere after going to see Ron?"

"Not at all. Hermione made it clear that after her breakfast date that she was going to go home, change and go to her usual job at Flourish and Blotts. Then go to your little party."

"She mentioned nothing else? Are you sure?"

Pansy was looking annoyed. "Yes, I'm positive. I don't like your attitude, Weasley. You're treating me like I'm some sort of suspect or something."

"I'm not saying that you're a suspect." Ginny sighed impatiently. "It's just that you were the only other one besides Ron and her coworkers that saw her that day so I thought that maybe you had some information on her whereabouts."

"Well, you can rest assured I would never do anything to one of my employees. Hermione is a punctual, hardworking woman. She's simply to valuable for me to let go of," Pansy said as if it were the most obvious and natural thing in the world.

"Well, do you know of any enemies that Hermione might have had? Anyone who would have wished her harm?"

Pansy blinked. "Not that I can think of." She rolled her eyes. "Hermione is such a goody two shoes. Who would want to harm a hair on her head?"

"Well, she is Harry Potter's best friend and a war hero," Ginny stated the obvious, trying to quell down her irritation. "It kinda gives anyone enough incentive to want to harm her. Especially anyone who followed the Dark Lord."

"Yes, yes but no one comes to mind at the moment. Have you tried questioning anyone else?"

"Yes, my friends and I have questioned several people but have come up empty handed...Are you sure you don't know anything?" Ginny pressed, hearing a light note of desperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry but I really don't know anything. I'll keep a look out for her, though."

Ginny sighed. "Another dead end."

Pansy drew her eyebrows together. "She's been gone over a week. Why haven't you alerted the media yet?"

"Because we don't want the news someo reaching the muggle world," Ginny said, lifting her tea to her lips. "You know about Hermione's mother's situation, right?" At Pansy's solemn nod, she continued, "We don't want her to stress herself out and ruin her health further by worrying about Hermione's whereabouts so it's better if she's left in the dark about it for now. We found a way to do a _Summoning_ spell on Hermione but we need to wait until the next full moon in order to perform it. That's still over two weeks of waiting."

"My..." Pansy bit her lip. "That is quite troublesome. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Just make sure this stays out of the papers. I confided in you with this, Pansy," Ginny said, a determined look in her eyes. "Don't make me regret it."

"Your secret is safe with me," Pansy said, waving her hand in dismissal. "More tea?"

"Yes, thank you."

Ginny chewed her lip as she wondered how Harry was doing in his search upstairs.

"Something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Ginny forced a smile. "Just caught in a daze, I suppose."

"Listen, I don't know if this helps but I have a theory." Pansy said eagerly.

Ginny arched an eyebrow. "Really?" This should be interesting.

"Yes. You see...what if Hermione isn't kidnapped at all? What if she has had a lover for a while and merely decided to go off on her own for a while? Cut herself off from the world. I bet she's probably sipping coconut milk on an island with him as we speak." Pansy laughed lightly.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Hermione would never cheat on Ron."

"Relax, Weaselette. It was just a theory. Crossing out the lover part maybe she just chose to get away for a while. I would imagine that being dumped by the love of her life would make her want to go somewhere far away."

"Even if that was true, Hermione isn't the type of person to leave without saying anything."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "She's hardly a child to be asking for permission or letting anyone know where she goes. She's a woman and a heartbroken one at that. When a woman is heartbroken, she's capable of anything. Chances are you and your friends are blowing this completely out of proportion. I bet that when she's had some time to herself to think and heal that she'll come calling you, perhaps in a few weeks or maybe a few months. It all depends on her."

"No, it's absolutely not possible. Luna did a spell that showed that Hermione was involved in some struggle. All we know is that it was a man that attacked Hermione."

"That narrows it down," Pansy said sarcastically. "Alright, then. Maybe you can try to lure the kidnapper out of hiding."

"...How?" Ginny asked dubiously, hiding her interest.

"Drink a polyjuice potion to make yourself look like Hermione. Do something big that will land you in the papers. When the kidnapper sees Hermione in the papers, it will make him wonder if he has the real Hermione in his possession or not. He will have to come and see for himself. He will be by your side constantly, asking lots of questions. If he does neither, well then...if he tries to kidnap you then that will be answer enough, won't it?" Pansy smirked.

Ginny was speechless. "That's...that's actually a brilliant idea."

"Duh." Pansy scoffed. "It's coming from me. Of course it's brilliant."

Before Ginny could comment, a sudden thump was heard above them. Both girls simultaneously looked up at the ceiling, noticing the crystal chandelier swing a bit.

Pansy frowned, glancing at Ginny. "Did you hear that?"

"No," Ginny said quickly, sipping her tea and shifting her gaze away.

The thump sounded again and Pansy jumped to her feet, neck arched toward the ceiling.

"I know you heard it that time." Pansy snapped her fingers and an elf appeared by her side. "Investigate the noise upstairs. We either have an intruder or one of the elves is cleaning too noisily. If the first, apprehend the intruder and bring him to me, if the second, tell them to clean more quietly."

"Yes, Miss," said the elf.

Pansy glanced back at Ginny. "This isn't the first time someone has broken in so sorry if I seem on edge."

"No, not at all," Ginny said, inwardly cursing Harry for being loud. "I'm- I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Anyway, your polyjuice idea is brilliant. Maybe we can throw some big event that will lure the culprit out."

Pansy suddenly clapped her hands together, excitement rolling off of her in waves. "Oh, do let me handle that part! If there's one thing I'm good at, it's organizing events! Oh, this detective stuff is really fun."

Ginny blinked. "Umm...sure, why not. But it has to be big, Pansy." She bit her lip. "Go all out with this."

"Count on it."

Pansy's elf suddenly appeared in front of her. "There was no sign of anyone entering your home, Miss. I did as you asked and told the elves to clean more quietly."

"Good. Now get back to work."

Ginny watched the elf leave silently before setting down her tea. "Well, it's getting late. I really should be going. Thank you for the tea. We should meet up tomorrow to discuss details on the plan."

"Oh, tomorrow's not good for me. I have a date and the day after that I'm spending the day with my parents. I work the day after that however, I am free Thursday," Pansy chirped.

"Alright. Thursday it is then." Ginny grabbed her purse and actually smiled a genuine smile at Pansy. "I'll show myself out then. Goodbye and thanks again."

"Anytime," Pansy drawled haughtily.

Ginny trotted out the door as fast as she could and moments later, she saw the door swing open and close. Harry came out panting from under the cloak as if he had been running.

"Well?" Ginny pressed. "Did you find anything?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. I really doubt Pansy has done anything to Hermione."

"Yeah, I couldn't get any leads from her either but she did give me a good idea."

"Oh, yeah? What is it?"

"Let's Disapparate quickly before someone sees you. Owl the others and tell them to meet up with us at your flat. I'll explain everything then."

* * *

><p>The water was at her jaw line now. Hermione stood tip-toe as she angled her head as far back as she could. The sun had just set and the water was growing colder and colder. Hermione groaned weakly as she struggled against her invisible binds the way she had for the last few hours, shivering as if the water was seeping into her very skin. Her tired limbs could take no more and finally her uppe body gave up. She closed her eyes as she weakly tried to push her feet up against the pole to move herself up the slightest bit.<p>

"Had enough, Granger?"

Hermione didn't have the energy to look his way. The sound of splashing came toward her until it stopped directly in front of her. Draco drew closer to her and grabbed both sides of her face, slapping her face lightly as if to try to wake her up.

"Come on, then. Where's all that fire and spirit you usually have?"

Hermione opened her eyes but merely stared at him.

"If you promise you won't try to run away again, I'll set you free and you can continue on with your chores as usual."

"I told you earlier..." Hermione murmured. "...I'm not going to lie to your face like that."

Draco scowled. "You're just making things needlessly harder on yourself. You know, right now would be one of those opportune moments for you to start kissing arse."

"I'd sooner die than beg," Hermione said, still trying to tilt her head away from the water, the water now reaching right above her chin.

Draco scoffed. "Interesting choice of words. Here you are at possibly the hour of your death and still you act all high and mighty as if you're the one holding all the cards." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Yet another thing I despise about you."

"Careful, Malfoy. One day all that hate might kill you." Hermione sighed impatiently, blowing a curl out of her face. "If you could just give me the chance to prove I'm a good person, I'm sure we could work things out."

Before Draco could offer a retort, he paused as a dawning look entered his eyes. "You know what? I think you're right. What better way for me to see you're a good person than by guarding you morning noon and night myself."

"What?" Hermione deadpanned, trying to hide how alarmed she looked but Draco must have seen it in her eyes.

He smirked. "Yeah...yeah, the more I think about it, the more pleasing the idea sounds. Alright, time to retire for the day, Granger. You'll have to work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for your transgressions." Draco stepped closer to her and murmured an incantation. Hermione was released from her confines and fell against Draco's frame.

Draco glared nastily at her as he held onto her upper arms. "What's with you, Granger? Stand up right and start walking."

Just as he said this, Hermione sank to her knees, making the water splash around her. She placed her hands on her thighs, frowning softly.

"You left me tied up for too long...I can't feel my legs." Hermione sighed. "Just give me a minute, alright?"

"I don't have a minute, Granger," Draco said, rolling his eyes. He lifted Hermione up by the elbow and wrapped an arm around her waist, easily hefting her up onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"W-what're you doing?" Hermione asked, starting to squirm in his hold as Draco started walking toward land.

"I don't have time for the pins and needles in your legs to stop," Draco drawled. When Hermione wouldn't stop squirming, he smacked her arse, making Hermione cry out in surprise.

"What was that for?!" Hermione demanded, blushing like crazy.

"That was so you would stop fussing and hold still. Want another one?"

Hermione merely glared at the back of his head, laid limply over Draco's shoulder and stewed silently. She watched the tides petulantly as Draco splashed his way toward the shore. She got uncomfortable just having her arms hang limply so she ended up pressing her arms against Draco's back in a crossed position, grasping at his wet shirt. Hermione felt Draco stiffen at this but he said nothing as he continued wading through the now waist tall waves.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **This chapter would just not agree with me. There was a lot of heavy revision and scene deleting involved. There was this one Luna and Narcissa scene I was sad to let go of that I think you guys would have liked. I will have to save it for a future chapter. I'm very excited about chapter six. If the development seems slow so far, it's because I don't want Draco and Hermione to fall in love quickly. After all, Draco does have a grudge against her. Chapter six is what I would sort of like to call a game changer. :) I just can't stop gushing about it! lol. Let's just say Draco and Hermione start to feel a certain kind of...tension between them. **A lot of really sweet and bitter scenes coming up for Dramione so if you wanna see what I mean about chapter six, p****lease R/R for a quick update. I literally have the next chapter half-written so I promise to have it up real soon but only if you guys review. I'll even start adding little previews of future chapters starting with chapter six. You guys are the only ones keeping me from giving up on this story so I would really appreciate some feedback on how I'm doing. :) This is one chapter you guy do not want to miss so PLZ R/R. **


	6. The Demon's New Perspective

**A/N: I had intended to have this chapter up as early as mid August but remember when I told you guys I was looking for a job? Well...I found one. Randomly. When I least suspected it. It's really time consuming but by no means do I intend on giving up on this story. I still intend to keep these updates coming as fast as possible. Chapter seven is already half way done. Here's the interesting "sort of "game changer chapter I promised. It's not THE game changer in Draco and Hermione's relationship, (or lack thereof) but it does allow Draco and Hermione to step away from all the hate so they can actually get along more or less. Now onto the chapter!**

_"I live my life in bitterness and fill my heart with emptiness. There is no crime in being kind. Not everyone is out to screw you over. Maybe they just want to get to know you." - Fear and Loathing ~ Marina and the Diamonds_

* * *

><p><strong>Cracked Armor<strong>

_Chapter 6: The Demon's New Perspective_

This was officially hell. Hermione sourly sat up in bed as she watched Draco set up his cot. He had purposely placed it just a few feet away from the door, cutting off any and all chance of escape. As if sensing her eyes on him, Draco abruptly glanced at her over his shoulder and grinned like the Cheshire Cat.

"Night, Granger. Don't try anything stupid now."

"Whatever," Hermione muttered before laying down and throwing the covers over herself. She rolled over onto her side and tried closing her eyes, but Draco's presence in her room made her all too aware. Hermione slowly sat up after a minute or so and slipped out of bed, the chain attached to her iron anklet clanking like the deadly tinkling of bells as she padded across the colorful Indian rug.

"May I help you?" Draco drawled with an arm thrown over his eyes, his intent clear on not moving.

"I'm thirsty, I would like to go get some water," Hermione said tiredly.

Draco gave her a flat look and sighed a long, heavy sigh before shouting, "Greg!"

A few moments later, Greg appeared in the doorway, looking ready to carry out whatever command Draco had ready for him.

"Y-yeah?"

"Bring the mudblood some water and bring me a bottle of Sherry, would you?"

"Yeah, sure. Be right back."

Greg ran off in the direction of the kitchen, returning mere moments later with the requested beverages in hand. He handed them to Draco who motioned for Hermione to come for her water. Hermione carefully accepted the glass of water in both hands, staring at Greg's shifty-eyed form curiously.

"I'm just gonna..." Greg shuffled his feet as he avoided looking in Hermione's direction, jerking a thumb behind him. "I'm just gonna go...do that- that thing you told me to do."

Draco nodded without looking at him. "Alright, don't take too long."

"I won't."

With that, Greg closed the door and a familiar _'pop!' _sounding just a few feet outside. Hermione glanced at Draco in question, but he was too busy popping the cork of his bottle.

"What was that all about?"

Draco quirked his head in her direction. "I _have_ mentioned before how nosy you are, right?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, moving toward her bed again the best she could with her chain restraint. She drank nearly half of her glass before setting it down on her nightstand. She climbed into bed and pulled the satin quilt around her legs. Hermione glanced at Draco who drank straight from his bottle before reaching blindly into the satchel beside his cot to pull out a book.

"You drink too much," Hermione mumbled, scrunching up her nose in disdain.

"You _talk_ too much," Draco drawled, flipping the pages to wherever he had left off in his book. "Go to sleep before I make you, Granger."

"Right." Hermione shot him a sardonic glance. "That's the thing, I can't sleep with you in here."

Draco took another swig of his Sherry. "Where do you suggest you _sleep_ with me? The villa? The jungle? The beach..." He smirked, never removing his eyes from his book.

Hermione threw one of her pillows at Draco's face, nearly causing him drop his bottle. He wrenched the pillow off his face and threw it back at Hermione, a savage-like scowl transforming his features into something less than angelic and almost demon.

"Get your mind out of the gutter. I meant that I can't fall asleep while you're in the same room as me, you tosser," Hermione hissed, glaring daggers at Draco as she drew her knees to her chest in a protective manner.

"I _know_ what you meant, Granger." Draco rolled his eyes, setting his jaw tensely as he watched her. "But I'm afraid you've run away far too many times. You need a night guard now as well. Believe me, I'm not exactly _thrilled_ to be your babysitter."

Hermione bit her lip, crinkling her brow slightly. "You sure you're not just doing this because of what I said?"

"What _did_ you say before?" Draco hummed. "I tend not to pay too much attention to whatever comes out of that slag mouth of yours," he shot at her.

"You're an arse but we both knew that already." Hermione sighed as she stared out the barred window. "I meant about what I had said earlier about you giving me the benefit of the doubt by trying to get to know me...about getting to know the_ real_ me and seeing that I'm not a bad person," she whispered, her voice full of sincerity.

Draco turned his head to stare at her. Feeling his gaze on her, Hermione turned to look him in the eye, never breaking contact even as the silence hung between them.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "You mentioned before about staring into the eyes of a beast to show that you had nothing to hide." A grim smile stretched out across his lips. "As I mentioned before, I wouldn't be satisfied with just that, Granger. I'd need to see your soul bared before me _before_ I can pass judgement to see if you truly have nothing to hide from me," he said darkly. "You'll lie and act and maybe even seduce just to get yourself off of this island." Hermione turned back to look at him with obvious disdain and offense. "I've known women like you before. They act pure and innocent but in the end that's all it is- an _act_. There's no one that good or pure that exists. Maybe there was a time that I thought otherwise about you from a bystander's point of view. But you proved me right."

Hermione wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed once more. It felt like she had been doing that far too often.

"Malfoy...you're right." At this, Draco arched an eyebrow in confusion. "The world isn't black and white. No one is fully good...but no one is fully evil either." She smiled a tiny smile suddenly, taking Draco aback. "There's good in you. I don't know why you try so hard to hide it. If anyone should know about acting, maybe it's you," Hermione suggested, perching her chin on her palms as she observed him with quiet curiosity.

"There's no acting behind my words or expressions," Draco murmured, looking away from Hermione in favor of staring up at the ceiling. "Especially not when it comes to the media. I don't mask my contempt for those beneath me- I _tolerate_ them. You can't undo the centuries old pureblood idea that's been heavily implanted into someone," he stated, recalling his mother's previous words to him before departing. "That's all we know- that's all_ I_ know," he whispered.

Hermione absorbed his words carefully, nodding a bit even though he wasn't looking her way.

"Does that mean you would try to change...if you could, I mean?" she asked tentatively.

Draco still didn't glance her way. "I won't change myself for anyone."

"Not even for yourself?" Hermione's question lowered to that of a whisper.

"...Just go to sleep, Granger." Draco sighed. It seemed sighing was catching today. "I'm not nearly drunk enough to be having this conversation, especially with you of all people."

"I understand." Hermione grabbed her pillow and held it against her chest, pushing back the curls from her face as she did so. "We can talk about something else."

"What I'd really like is for you to shut your yap and get the hell to sleep. That would _please_ me more than you'll ever know," Draco barked.

Hermione frowned. "I told you I won't be able to fall asleep if you're in the same room as me. We might as well talk for a little while. If we talk long enough, I might be tired enough to try to get some sleep. Umm...so what book are you reading?" she asked lamely.

"A good one."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously. What's the name of it? What's it about?"

Draco groaned, realizing he wasn't gonna be able to shut her up. "_Legend of Legends_."

Hermione sat up straighter, leaning forward slightly in anticipation. "Alaric's book- the one you were telling me about before?"

"That would be the one," Draco said dryly, flipping a page.

"Tell me about it...please." Hermione offered another startling smile for Draco. He corrected his baffled expression quickly by twisting it into a look of annoyance. "I was wrong before when I said you drank too much. Drunks are the _backbone_ of society," she stated with a straight face. She giggled a few seconds afterward, not able to keep up the ruse. "Now _please_ tell me about Alaric's book, I'm honestly interested."

Draco couldn't tell if it was the buzz from the alcohol but her words actually pulled a laugh out of him. He gave her a lopsided grin.

"You're damn right about that at least." His grin dropped as he studied her briefly, before returning his attention to his book. "But I don't _have_ to tell you anything, you know."

"You might want to if you expect me to get to sleep anytime soon," Hermione pointed out.

"Will a brief summary tide you over?" Draco grumbled.

"It might."

"Alright...fine, whatever. Basically it's about this wizard named Rolden who's been a slave for half his life. His wand was confiscated and day after day, he and other wizards and witches are forced to dig at ruins to find ancient magical items. He finds a time turner and ends up in the past during Merlin's time. Merlin is quite an anti-hero in this story. He has the means to return Rolden to his own time but not without a price. He makes him become his apprentice for a year. During his stay, he meets Guinivere's younger, illegitimate sister, Julianna. Beautiful, free-spirited, sweet."

Hermione smiles. "He falls in love with her."

"He's a guy. He's stuck in a different time. I'm sure he must have thought that if he was going to be spending a year in this time, might as well find a good lay." Draco shrugged.

Hermione gave him a withering look. "Is that what's written or just your own personal opinion?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Granger, he obviously fell in love with her so why even bother asking? The chit is easy on the eyes and isn't a pain in the ass unlike others," he shot at her, giving Hermione a pointed look.

"Moving on." Hermione gestured for him to keep going. "What happened next?"

Draco closed his book and placed it under his pillow, narrowing his eyes into slits.

"I believe the deal was that I give you a brief summary of my brother's story and then you head to sleep."

"Come on, just tell me a little bit more," Hermione pleaded, hugging her pillow tightly.

"I couldn't tell you anymore even if I wanted to. If I reveal anything else, it would be considered a spoiler." Draco gave a slight shrug as if to say it was simply out of his hands.

Hermione bit her lip and hummed lightly in thought. "Well...I _do_ hate spoilers. Alright, then," she muttered, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'll just buy my own copy when I head home," she said, lying down on her side and pulling the covers up to her neck.

"There's that self-assuredness again." Draco crossed his arms behind his head, snorting in disbelief. "The confidence that you'll leave this island is astounding."

"Just watch me," Hermione murmured, turning over to dim the oil lamp significantly. "Goodnight, Malfoy."

Draco didn't reply as he watched Hermione burrow her face against her pillow. He slowly fixed his gaze to the ceiling once more. About twenty minutes later, he heard a knock at the door. Draco swung his legs off of the cot and opened the door to find Greg standing before him.

"I brought-

Draco slammed his hand against Greg's mouth and threw a nasty look his way. He raised a finger to his own lips to get Greg to hush, slowly removing his hand from Greg's mouth. He made shooing motions for Greg to back up. Draco glanced at Hermione over his shoulder to see her sleeping soundly. He rolled his eyes. So much for her not being able to sleep in the same room as him. Draco shut the door quietly behind him and motioned for Greg to follow, not stopping until they reached the edge of the clearing.

"I wasn't sure how much to get," Greg said, gesturing at a small wooden crate behind him. "So I just got everything the shop had left over. This _is_ the right potion...right?" he asked, wringing his hands together nervously.

Draco crouched down and picked up a potion bottle for close inspection. "Yeah...this is it. It sure takes me back to our early years in Hogwarts. Thanks, Greg, you did good." He clasped his fried's shoulder good-naturedly before grabbing six extra potions, carefully depositing them into a sack that Greg held out to him. "I'll just take these for now. Throw away the crate and place these in the far back of my closet at the villa. After you put them away, you can have the next few days off."

Greg's eyes widened fearfully. "But Draco, what about-

"Don't worry about it." Draco half-smiled. "Despite some errors, you have always managed to keep the mudblood from escaping. You earned yourself a few days off. Go visit your family, help plan Blaise's bachelor party or just spend the next few days resting. You deserve it, mate. I'll handle things just fine on my own here."

Greg looked uncertain. "But I still don't understand why you want to use this potion. If you use it, Granger will try to take advantage of the situation and just run away all over again."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to see if she'll really do or not. She wanted the benefit of the doubt, well...now she's getting it but we're doing things my way." Draco smirked. "Anyway, like I said, I'll be perfectly fine on my own. If anything happens, I'll owl you. Besides it's not like the potion will physically make me sick, just make it seem like I have all the symptoms of a ill person."

* * *

><p>"I talked to Ginny earlier. She told me that Pansy gave her and Harry invitations to her charity ball. She also mentioned that she and Pansy would be meeting up soon to discuss details of the party," Ron said as he walked with his friends along the cobblestoned street of Nocturn Alley.<p>

They had done their share of investigating the day before but civilians had either run from them, answered their questions in riddles or snickered insanely behind their hands. One of them had actually snatched Luna's Veritaserum and Disapparated before they could even blink. So much for that idea. It was Neville who suggested that they take the opportunity to visit _Borgin's and Burke's_ since the owner had returned recently from a business trip. He tended to keep odd hours nowadays, but Neville had been assured by one of his co-workers that he would be in today. Neville opened the door for Luna and Ron, taking the lead once they were all inside the dusty, decrepit shop. The dim light emitting from above them gave off an eerie, ghostly green glow. Neville placed his hands in his pockets as he strode up to the glass counter where Mr. Borgin stood counting his money.

"Excuse me, sir. We would like to inquire about a certain missing woman," Neville explained, amiably enough.

Mr. Borgin arched an eyebrow at him but merely kept counting his money.

Ron snarled. "He _asked _you a question."

"Yes, he did but I don't reveal information without a price," Mr. Borgin said gruffly, stuffing the money in his pocket. He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited with smug expectancy.

Neville's mouth pressed into a thin line of irritation. "How much?"

"Three hundred galleons."

Neville reached into his pocket and dumped a leather pouch onto the desk. "There's a hundred. You get the rest when you tell us everything you know."

Mr. Borgin smirked. "You're looking for the Granger girl, aren't you? A few of my customers have come in saying a group of wizard folk were trying to find her. Now there's a lot of talk in Nocturn Alley...ss many truths as there are lies but I do have my customers that know everything about everything."

"Cut to the chase," Ron snapped, narrowing his eyes.

"I had one customer in particular who came in about two weeks ago. He was clearly in disguise. He was browsing through my collection of non-enchanted jewelry. I told him about a new line of jewelry made in collaboration between mermaids and magic folk. When he inquired about the owner, I told him the company did not have an official name yet. I had only ever spoken to the owner through letters. I told my client that the man preferred to remain anonymous for the time being until he was ready to release his line internationally."

"What does-

Neville lifted a hand to silence Ron, giving him a pointed look before telling Mr. Borgin to go on.

"The man was so intrigued by these particular jewels. He browsed for quite a bit before buying a ruby necklace. As he was paying, he noticed _The Prophet _off to one corner. It was none other than Miss Granger at an auction. She had auctioned off the very same type of necklace that this man had just bought. That's when the man bursts out laughing and tells me about how he had witnessed her kidnapping a few days before, telling me whata foolish girl she was and that she had it coming for being a mudblood. Me being always keen for a good story, I listened quite intently. He had seen the Granger girl running through the entryway of Nocturn Alley, and had heard the exchange between the girl and another wizard. He saw her knocked out by him and they Disapparated together."

"Did he see who it was?" Luna inquired, leaning both hands on the counter.

"Chances are he did," Mr. Borgin mumbled with a half shrug. "He told me he was standing a few yards away from behind Hermione Granger, meaning he had to have been facing the wizard himself. He didn't tell me anymore than that but by the way he laughed and praised the wizard for his actions, it would seem that he was familiar with the culprit."

Luna furrowed her brow. "Do you happen to remember this man's name?"

"Even if I did, records of my clients are private."

Neville snorted. "Nonsense, I very much doubt you won't give away that kind of information as well for the right price."

"Exactly but none of you can afford that sort of information." Mr. Borgin smirked. "Now pay up the remaining galleons."

Neville slammed down another pouch of galleons onto the counter, about to turn to go when Luna clutched at his coat for him to stay.

"What about the necklace?" Luna asked. "Do you have that same necklace in stock right now?"

Mr. Borgin blinked at her. "Yes, yes I do." He waved his hand for them to follow him over to a glass cabinet where several varieties of sparkling jewel pieces were on display. At the center of it was the ruby necklace on a thin gold chain. "You wouldn't believe how popular this item became after your friend auctioned it off. Are you interested in purchasing this?"

"Yes," Luna replied without missing a beat. "Yes, I am."

Ron and Neville suddenly jerked her away by her wrists. "Luna, what're you doing?" Ron hissed. "We don't have time to waste by shopping."

"I have to agree with Ron."

Luna blinked. "I also didn't plan on wasting time but you heard what Mr. Borgin said, he doesn't plan to show us his records." She glanced at Mr. Borgin quickly before shifting her gaze back to her friends. "While I distract him, you go behind his desk and take his client book. Try to be quick, I don't know how long I'll be able to distract him. He's already looking at us with suspicion. Just walk around and pretend like you're browsing while I speak with him," she whispered anxiously.

"Something wrong?" Mr. Borgin inquired distastefully.

Luna smiled brightly. "Not at all." She strolled back to his side, peering into the glass. "This is so lovely," she said in awe. "May I try it on?"

"Only if you intend to buy it."

"I might."

"Only customers that don't have enough money say that," Mr. Borgin drawled in a bored manner.

Luna grinned. "I guarantee I will purchase something here before I leave."

Mr. Borgin grumbled as he took his key out from his pocket and opened the glass cabinet. Luna watched out of the corner of her eye as Ron and Neville edged closer to the counter, constantly glancing over their shoulders.

"Here we are." Mr. Borgin held up the item with both hands for Luna to take. "What are you both doing back there?"

Just as he was about to turn his head, Luna stopped him by placing a hand over his shoulder.

"Would- would you mind putting it on for me?"

When Mr. Borgin raised an eyebrow, Luna giggled lightly and raised her bitten fingernails for him to see.

"I just got my nails done, you see?"

Apparently Mr. Borgin couldn't tell the difference between_ 'done' _and _'not done'_ nails sighed as he acquiesced. He made a swirling gesture with his finger for her to turn around. Luna did so, not missing the way he smelled her hair or the way his fingers lingered on her neck long after he had secured the clasp. She flinched away from him and whirled around to face him with what she hoped passed as a smile. She fingered the necklace as she looked into a mirror.

"How Hermione had the heart to auction this off I'll never know."

The sound of something clattering onto the floor was heard suddenly, and Mr. Borgin spun around to face Neville who was kneeling down to pick up some sort of metal staff.

Neville laughed lightly. "My bad. I'm a terrible klutz but no harm done, right?" He put the staff back among the others, leaning casually against the wall with his hands in his pockets.

Mr. Borgin narrowed his eyes. "Where'd your friend go? The ginger?"

"Oh, him? He had to step out for a moment."

"I didn't hear the shop bell ring when he stepped out-

Before Mr. Borgin could inquire more, Luna directed his attention back to her.

"Thank you but I don't think this is really my style. Do you have anything less...extravagant?" Luna asked, smiling widely. "Something like...oh, actually I was thinking something like this over here," she said, pointing at a simple but elegant diamond edged butterfly pendant with a pearl drop that hung from a thin silver chain.

Luna quickly tugged Mr. Borgin by the wrist to the necklace she had pointed at, making quick motions behind her for Ron to leave the shop. Ron, having seen his cue from behind the desk, quietly got to his feet and started fast walking out of the shop. The sound of the shop bell ringing made Mr. Borgin snap his neck around again.

"What was that? Did someone come in?"

Neville smiled. "No, sir, ears must be playing tricks on you. I didn't hear anything."

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" Mr. Borgin asked gruffly. "I'm not old enough for my ears to be playing tricks."

"Do forgive me, then it must be _my_ eyes and ears messing with me because I did not see or hear anyone come in," Neville said innocently.

Before Mr. Borgin could retort, Luna tugged on his sleeve to return his attention back to her.

Luna gave him a ditzy smile. "I'll take it."

The older man grunted in approval and motioned for her to follow him to the counter. As Mr. Borgin gave her back her change, his hand made a quick move to grasp her wrist.

"What is a lovely lady like you doing without a man? Surely, there's something I can do to fix that." He leered.

Luna glanced anxiously between Mr. Borgin and his hand. That was when Neville suddenly strode up to Luna and wrapped an arm around her, effectively yanking her out of Mr. Borgin's grip with an effortless tug.

"She's with me, actually."

_"You?"_ Mr. Borgin scoffed.

Neville nodded as he smiled down at Luna. "Isn't that right, love?"

Luna was gobsmacked for a moment, her lips moving like a fish. "Oh...umm yes! Yes, we are. We're quite happy together." She placed her hand on Neville's chest as she reached up to kiss his cheek. She completely missed the utter look of awe on Neville's face when she pulled away. "Well...we'd best be going."

She snatched the jewelry box off of the counter and let Neville hastily lead her out of the shop, his arm still firmly wrapped around her. As soon as the shop door shut behind them, Neville carefully extracted his arm from Luna.

"Sorry about that," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "I just didn't like seeing that creep all over you."

Luna craned her neck up to look at Neville. "It's alright." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear shyly. "I'm glad you did. He was making so nervous the entire time we were in there," she murmured.

"Can't blame you." Neville cast a nasty look at the shop. "Whata sleazebag."

Ron appeared from the other side of the building with the client book under his arm.

"This might be a reach but if Pansy's ball idea doesn't pan out, we'll at least have this to fall back on. Let's go back to my place and start looking through it."

* * *

><p>The heat that invaded her room was what drew Hermione out of her pleasant slumber. She opened her eyes and smiled, humming as she stretched her arms above her. She figured it must have been around eight in the morning. Hermione frowned. That was late compared to Draco's usual five in the morning wake up calls. On rare occasion, he'd wake her up at six at the latest. Her eyes drifted over to Draco's sleeping form at her door, watching his chest rise and fall for a moment. Hermione supposed she could sleep in a while longer, just until Draco woke. Then again, it was hard being awake and not doing something productive. That's when something shiny caught her eye on the floor, a few feet from her bed.<p>

Her eyebrows arched up in surprise. It was the skull key that Draco used that chain her to the bed every night. Hermione frowned. What was it doing on the floor? Draco always made sure to keep that key out of her reach. Hermione glanced curiously from Draco to the key, glinting against the sunlight as if taunting her. Perhaps it had somehow fallen out of his person last night as he slept. Whatever the cause of this strange occurrence, Hermione saw the chance to unchain herself without having to wait for Draco to wake up. She got up, walking as much as the chain would allow her. Crouching down quickly, she scooped up the key with a triumphant smile and let the chain fall away from her ankle.

A tiny sigh of relief escaped her lips as Hermione rolled her ankle around comfortably. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she was suddenly kneeling down on her nightstand, craning her neck as far as she could to try to see through the iron bars. She couldn't see Greg in the kitchen. Since she was up, might as well make breakfast. Hermione climbed down from the nightstand, pausing as she stood in front of Draco. She sighed impatiently as she nudged his shoulder. Draco continued to doze on. Hermione repeatedly nudged him and even slapped his face gently but he still wouldn't wake. She frowned when she noticed he was sweating profusely. Her hand hesitantly hovered over Draco's forehead before gently settling down over it. She gasped and pulled her hand away sharply.

He was scalding! Hermione stared at Draco wide-eyed. He _seemed_ perfectly fine the day before. How could he have possibly gotten a fever? She wondered if there was any kind of potion or medicinal herbs she could use. Hermione groaned as she recalled how she had destroyed all of Draco's potions the day before at the villa. Pursing her lips, Hermione placed one foot on one side of Draco's cot before placing the other on his right side. She turned the doorknob and quickly climbed down from the cot, not knowing that Draco had cracked an eye open and was watching her go. She raced across the expanse of the clearing toward the outdoor kitchen, climbing up the short steps in two long strides. Hermione stumbled forward in her haste, barely catching herself on the sink counter.

She open the cabinet doors, biting her lip when she could only find Earl Grey and some spices but no medicine in sight. She sighed. Looks like she was gonna have to help Draco the old-fashioned way. Hermione grabbed a dish towel and filled a bowl with cold sink water. She glanced back at the Earl Grey in the open cabinet. Perhaps she should prepare some tea since he wouldn't be able to eat any solids. She poured water into a kettle, keeping the heat at medium. Herimione fast-walked back to Draco, holding the bowl carefully in both hands so as not to spill a drop. Quickly climbing over Draco, she placed the bowl of water down beside her as she kneeled next to Draco's sleeping form.

Hermione paused as her hand submerged the dish towel inside the bowl, before her eyes passed over the dusty chair in the corner of the room. She had never once used that chair not even when she was alone at nights. It sounded silly to think of a simple chair, but every time Hermione glanced its way, she felt a terrible wave of loneliness emitting from it. It forced her to once again think about who else had used this room before her. Sometimes if she stared at it long enough, she could almost envision a grainy black and white vision of a person's silhouette sitting in this chair and staring out the window, its back hunched down sadly. Somehow it almost felt like this room was waiting for its prisoner to return.

The room had looked like it hadn't been used in years when Hermione had first entered it as evidenced by the dusty, cob-webbed chair. It was as if time had frozen still in that corner of the room. Hermione knew that Draco had meant to keep it that way. It was common for parents to leave their children's room untouched when they died, sometimes even letting dust collect. For Draco it was similar with the loss of...Hermione's eyes widened in realization. Alaric...could this possibly been Alaric's room at one point rather than just some random hostage of Draco's? It would certainly make sense if she thought about it.

Draco had told her before about how Lucius had taken extra measures to keep anyone from finding out he had fathered the son of a whore by never letting Alaric leave the Manor and sending him to Durmstrang under a different last name. And this was the Malfoy's island she was on right now...would they bring Alaric along? If anything, it wouldn't have made sense for him to stay with the Malfoys in the villa. What if this room had been constructed specifically for Alaric himself?

She dipped the dish towel in the water for a bit before wringing it. Hermione folded it twice before gently pressing it down along Draco's forehead and cheeks.

"I hope Goyle shows up soon," Hermione murmured. "Maybe he can run out and get something for you."

She watched his sleeping face, placing a gentle hand behind his head, while her other hand cupped his cheek to press the cool wash cloth against it. Hermione's hand wavered as her eyes lingered over his undisturbed expression, thinking he looked much better like this. Gentle and unguarded. She preferred it to his usual scowl. His long white eyelashes fluttered against his pale skin. Hermione frowned. He really did had enviable eyelashes along with great hair. _'Why did the snobby rich had to be born with all the great features',_ she thought sullenly. She removed the washcloth and placed it back into the water. Draco's eyes watched her curiously through hooded eyes as she squeezed the water out of the dish towel.

When Hermione turned back to Draco, his eyes had closed once more. Once more, Hermione lifted the back of Draco's head as she gently moved the dish cloth along his face. When she heard the sound of the kettle, she folded the dish towel twice and draped it over Draco's forehead to rest there.

"That would be the tea. I'm gonna go prepare something for you now- something light like porridge or soup maybe. You just rest, I won't be long," Hermione chirped.

She ran toward the kitchen and poured the steaming kettle of water into a mug along with the tea bag. Hermione placed the covered bowl of porridge and mug of tea onto a metal tray and began carrying it to her room. She frowned when she realized she couldn't climb over Draco without spilling the food on him. She tried to lean over him as best as she could without touching him. Just another centimeter or so and she would be able to place the tray down gently.

"Granger, what the hell are you doing?"

Hermione yelped, slipping forward, her stomach landing horizontally against Draco's stomach, knocking the air out of Draco in the process.

"What the fuck?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Hermione cried out, quickly scrambling to get off of him. "I'm glad you're awake so that now I can ask you to let me move the cot against the wall. Having it and you in front of the door is too inconvenient for me."

Draco snorted. "Did I ever once give you an impression that I cared for your convenience?"

Hermion rolled her eyes "Whatever. You know, you're far more tolerable when you're sleeping. Anyway, get up so that I can move this thing." At the dirty look Draco gave her, she sighed. "It will only take a moment and then you can go back to resting."

"You're such a pain in the ass," Draco said, rising from his cot to stood against a wall, watching Hermione as she moved the cot. She was careful not to knock over the food and tea as she did so.

"There, _Your Majesty_," Hermione said sarcastically, gesturing at Draco's bedding.

Draco shoved past her to lie down. "So what kind of peasant food have you made for me to choke down?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in disdain at the tray of covered food.

Hermione picked up the tray and moved it closer to Draco's cot. "Simple porridge. I put a little honey in it."

"No one asked you to do that."

"I thought you might like it," Hermione said primly.

"Well, I don't."

"You're honesly telling me you've never had honey with your porridge. A strange childhood you must have had," she mumbled. "Either way, I especially made this for you so please eat it."

She grabbed the bowl and dipped the spoon into it, blowing gently on it before moving it toward Draco's mouth. He rolled his eyes and firmly pushed her hand away.

"I can feed myself well enough, mudblood."

Draco tried to grab the bowl away from Hermione.

"Malfoy, you're gonna spill it!"

Sure enough, some of the porridge landed on his shirt. Hermione tsked and shook her head.

"See what you get for being so stubborn about letting people help you. Take off your shirt," Hermione ordered sternly. "I'll put it to wash after you finish eating."

Draco stared at her for a long moment before removing his shirt and handing it to her without a word. Hermione's shyness returned for an instant and Draco did not fail to notice this. He didn't understand how she could be shy about something like that if she had been with many men before as his brother's journal had vividly claimed.

"You really insist on keeping up this charade, huh, Granger?"

Hermione blinked. "What charade?"

"That thing you do where you pretend to be embarrassed. You can only keep it up for so long. Hey..._look_ at me." When Hermione refused to obey, Draco grabbed her chin and forced her to face him.

She looked up slowly at Draco through the veil of her lashes, feeling pink start to stain her cheeks.

"I've asked you this before but surely you've seen other men shirtless and wearing far less. Weasely for example."

Hermione felt a sting at the mention of his name. "I told you before it was none of your business." She turned away and hastily searched through Draco's bag and pulled out a random green V neck. "Put this on so you can eat."

"Such a prude." Draco chuckled. "Completely contradicts what Alaric wrote about you but that's exactly what you want me to believe, right?" He sneered at her before puling the shirt over his head and arms.

"Excuse me for not gawking like a idiot." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please feel free too since you'll never get to _experience_ anything with me." Draco arched his eyebrows up suggestively.

Hermione glared at him. "You're such a slimey little toad." She handed him the porridge and got up, dusting the knees of her capris. "Feed yourself. I'm gonna go wash your shirt.

"Hold on, Granger. Shouldn't you take responsibility?"

"How is this my fault?" she cried out incredulously.

"For continuously giving me a hard time!" Draco shouted.

"I've had enough. You clearly said you could feed yourself so go right ahead."

Draco laid back down and crossed his arms behind his head, his annoying smirk plastered on his face.

"I changed my mind. I want _you_ to feed me."

"I really am not obligated to do anything you order me to under your condition." Hermione raised her hand before Draco could argue back. "Let me finish. I said Im not _obligated_ to. I, however, would feel more inclined to help you if you said _'please'_."

"For what?" Draco snorted.

"It's the magic word I mentioned before." Hermione smiled.

"That's ridiculous. I do not tell mudbloods _'please'_."

"There's a first time for everything," Hermione deadpanned.

Draco gave her a long leveled look. "I'd rather do things my way."

"Do it your way and you'll just exhaust yourself. You should be resting, not arguing with me." Hermione sighed. "Honestly."

"Fine then_ please_ hurry up and feed me."

Hermione chuckled. "That's about as good as you've got, huh? Very well then."

She picked up the porridge and kneeled down next to Draco again, grabbing the spoon and realized that the porridge had cooled during their argument. She lifted it to his mouth and Draco opened it warily, watching her closely as she dipped the spoon back into the bowl for another scoop.

"So tell me about yourself this time," Hermione said.

"What?" Draco arched an eyebrow at this.

"When you were really drunk at your villa before, you told me- excuse me- _'Imperio'_ed me to tell you about myself." Hermione gave him a dry look before continuing. "Why don't you tell me about _you_ this time?"

Draco harrumphed. "Now why would I go and do something thing like that?"

"Well, we are stuck like this until you feel better." She placed the back of her hand against Draco's forehead, making him stiffen at her touch. She frowned softly and sighed. "Which, doesn't look like it will be soon. We might as well do something to pass the time by filling the silence."

"Does silence frighten you, Granger?"

Hermione stared at Draco for a long moment before opening her mouth. "Well, I'm not scared per se. But it does make me feel uneasy. So what do you say? Can you tell me more about the devious mind of Draco Malfoy?" She chuckled, raising a spoonful of porridge to Draco.

Draco accepted it quickly. "Weren't you the one that said that you would come out as horribly twisted as me if you entered my mind?"

"Yes, luckily enough, I won't actually have to _see_ inside your mind." Hermione grinned.

"Why should I have to tell you anything?" Draco snorted and looked away.

"You don't. You have the choice to tell me more or not...but I would really appreciate it if you did."

"Why?"

Hermione sighed heavily. "Merlin, Malfoy. Is that the only word you know, _'why'_? You shouldn't be so paranoid. I honestly just want to get to know you. Please talk to me."

"...If it will help pass the time as you said." Draco sighed. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Anything. A hobby. A memory." Hermione shrugged.

"Well...when I was sick, it was always a house elf that took care of me, though my mother would check on me when she had the time."

"I see. It must have been difficult for her to leave you in the care of someone other than herself," Hermione said softly, raising the spoon to Draco's lips.

"I rarely got sick, though. I could run around in the rain all day and I wouldn't get so much as a sniffle."

"Did you act the same way you did as a child before I met you in Hogwarts?"

Draco smirked as he turned his head toward her. "You mean if I was still as charming and adorable as I was in first year? Why, yes I was."

Hermione gave him a flat look. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. And I was actually quite different until I was seven."

"What happened?"

"Not telling you. It was just the year I opened my eyes."

Hermione took a moment to consider what that could possibly mean, before deciding that it had to have something to do with blood status.

"Go on," Hermione implored.

"I hate tomatoes. I like to watch the sun rise often. I'm an art collector. I like to travel. I've been to different places around the world but I think my favorite place to visit is Rome- the people, the food, the culture. It's all really something."

Hermione smiled. "I'm afraid I've never been anywhere outside of England."

"Why's that?"

"Well, as hard as it is to believe, Malfoy, not all of us have the means to go wherever we want." Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco was thoughtful for a moment before making a non-committal sound in his throat.

"Well, you could have always married into a family of wealth."

"What?" Hermione squawked, eyes wide.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Don't act like it's such an unimaginable thing. Honestly. You could do so much better than the Weasel."

"One, don't ever talk about Ron that way ever again. He's always been good to me. Second, I'm not a gold digger." Hermione scoffed. "I would rather live in a decrepit shack and marry the one I love then have everything and be married to someone I can't stand."

"Then that makes you a stupid woman." Draco gave her a cold look as he shifted to sit up. "Not everyone can afford the luxury of love. Sometimes you need to focus on your own comfort and security."

Hermione thinned her lips in irritation. "I've never known that way of life. You and I..." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We live in two entirely different worlds. As you keep reminding me with your favorite insult, you're a pureblood and I'm not."

"Whether or not you have the privilege of being a pureblood, you do have the option to change your fate." Draco snorted. "Salazar forbid that thinking of your well-being once in a while should be a bad thing. You could save yourself from this endless slavery of debt you've shackled yourself too." Hermione squirmed in discomfort as he eyed her up and down slowly before raising his eyes to meet hers again. "Looking at you more carefully now, I see you're not _entirely_ a lost cause in the looks department. Contain that bird's nest you call hair and wear sexier clothes, and you could have some wealthy bloke falling all over himself for you."

"Look, it's disgusting to even insinuate that I should flaunt myself at some man just for his wealth like some sort of sport," Hermione cried in indignation. "Don't tell me you get off on women chasing _you_ for _your_ wealth."

At this, Draco tossed his head back and laughed. "Listen, Granger, I don't have to rely on my wealth to get women." He smirked.

"Your arrogance is nauseating." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Confidence."

"Arrogance," Hermione fired back.

"No, confidence. There's a difference. If I were arrogant, I'd be certain I could bed any woman. Seeing as how I haven't bed you, obviously that's not the case," Draco stated flatly.

Hermione was going to argue back that he'd never sleep with her for many obvious reasons, one of them being the fact that he thinks she murdered his brother, but she wisely chose to keep her mouth shut. She didn't want to ruin this temporary truce they seemed to have going for them right now.

"That would be arrogant indeed to assume," Hermione quietly agreed.

Draco gave her a leveled look. "You wouldn't know about confidence, would you?" He raised a hand to his chin pensively. "Tell me, when was the last time Weaslebee made you feel confident in your looks or your..._abilities_? When was the last time you felt truly desired?" he asked darkly. "Or better yet, when was the last time he actually made you feel like a woman at all?"

Hermione's face flushed at his words. "How- how can you ask about those kinds of things so casually? I told you before that our relationship is none of your business!"

"The fact that you continue to avoid the question makes me believe he doesn't make you feel any of those things," Draco voiced, a hint of intrigue in his tone. "Does he?" he pressed.

"I don't have to answer you," Hermione ground out. "You're the last person I have to prove anything to." She stood up sharply, shoulders squared and hands balled into fists. "I've had enough. I'm going to go wash your shirt."

She grabbed Draco's stained shirt and strode out of the hut, ignoring his shouts to come back as she did so.

* * *

><p>"Seriously, what have you and Draco been up to?" Blaise asked off-handedly. "I haven't heard much from either of you lately."<p>

Greg glanced up at his friend in surprise, biting his lip as he chose his next words carefully. He hadn't thought he'd be spending his much appreciated time off doing anything other than sleeping in. That was when he had received Blaise's invitation earlier that day to join him and Astoria for dinner. So far he had managed to take the conversation as far from the topic of Draco as he could during the first few courses of dinner. But there was no stopping a curious Blaise and Astoria. It was natural that they would be curious, but Greg had to decide what he deemed most appropriate for him to tell his friends.

They were currently sitting in an elegant restaurant, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as well as several Greek maiden statues scattered throughout the place. White thorny roses sat as center pieces against red velvet tablecloths. Greg's ran his fingers along the edge of the cloth, staring at it with a faux keen interest, trying to buy himself some time.

"Oh umm...I've just been helping Draco with that new business he's started up." Greg glanced up at Blaise when he finished but quickly shifted his eyes away when he saw Blaise's penetrating stare fixed on him.

Astoria hummed as she raised her wine to her lips. "It's been nearly a year and he's still so secretive about it."

Greg grinned. "All will be revealed in due time," he said, placing a forkful of chocolate cake in his mouth.

"Whatever kind of business he's concocted, I hope he knows what he's doing. I've seen many businesses crumble over some half-baked idea."

"Trust me, Blaise. Draco has it all figured out down to the last detail," Greg stated, sounding absolutely proud.

He paused his fork at his lips when he saw a certain raven-haired woman with a pair of older folk sitting a few tables down from them. So caught up in his conversation with Blaise and Astoria that he had somehow failed to notice the beauty he had been infatuated with for some time now.

"What is it?" Astoria asked, craning her neck back to see what he was looking at. A sly smile crossed her lips. "Oh, I see. Greg, why don't you just talk to her already?"

"Who?" Blaise asked, sounding the slightest bit interested.

"Pansy Parkinson," Astoria replied, one side of her mouth lifting up smugly. "Come on, Greg, you've had a crush on her for the longest time."

Greg put his fork down and pushed his cake away. "I can't. I mean, I'm not exactly a stud."

"What're you talking about? Ever since you lost all that weight, you've been looking better these days," Blaise said bluntly.

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Greg, you've always been a decent-looking guy but that's not even the point. A lot of women may go for looks but they stay for a bloke's personality."

"I'll give you a hundred Galleons if you go talk to her, mate," Blaise drawled.

"Umm...I-I don't know."

"You won't go for a hundred?" Blaise hummed lightly. "Two hundred then?"

"I can't." Greg gave Blaise a hopeless look. "I wouldn't know what to say."

"Three hundred galleons."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Blaise, I'll just make a fool of myself."

"Four hundred." Blaise gave him a leveled look. "The best things in life are worth going after. You just have to believe you're worthy. That and she's getting up to leave so you'd better make a decision fast." He snapped his fingers to emphasize.

Greg poked at his cake absently as he processed Blaise's words, peering up to see that indeed Pansy and the older folk had gotten up. She hugged and kissed each of them on the cheek. They appeared to give their goodbyes as they each went their separate ways. While the older couple exited the restaurant, Pansy reached into her purse to pay for their meal. Astoria reached out and took his plate away, eliciting a sound of protest from Greg.

Astoria smirked. "You're not getting this back until you go talk to her. The worst she can do is tell you no but you'll never know unless you go for it. If she tells you no, it doesn't mean no forever. It just means not at the moment."

"Five hundred." Blaise dumped the bag of galleons in front of Greg. "Now get your formerly fat arse up and talk to her before she leaves."

"...Al-alright." Greg stood up ram-rod straight with his palms resting against the table. "Alright, I'll go to her...am I moving yet?" he asked sheepishly.

While Blaise rolled his eyes, Astoria merely laughed as she stood and turned Greg in Pansy's direction.

"Just go!" She giggled, giving him a little push forward.

Greg started walking slowly toward Pansy, watching as she grabbed her purse and was turning to leave. He lifted a shaky hand and placed it on her smooth, milky white shoulder.

"H-hi, Pansy."

Pansy turned around and smiled brightly. "Oh, hey there, Greg. How are you?"

"Great, just...great," Greg said lamely, shifting from foot to foot. "It's been a while, huh?"

Pansy chuckled. "I'll say. You look fantastic, by the way," she said, gesturing at his bulky figure.

Greg's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Pansy stated, her eyes roving over his face quickly. "Who's the lucky girl who's stolen you from bachelorhood? Surely, there must be someone," she flirted.

Greg blushed before he could help it, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I don't have a girlfriend but...there is someone I've sorta had my eye on for a while."

"How nice."

"Well, I wanted to ask you-

"Oh, I'd love to stay and chat longer but I have a date tomorrow so I have to go shop for a whole new outfit." Just as she started to walk away, she paused and grinned at Greg over her shoulder. "Right. Before I forget." She reached into her purse quickly and pulled out a small envelope with a red wax seal, a _'P'_ carved into its center. "I'm throwing a charity ball. I hope you come, it will give us all a chance to catch up." As she said this, she waved at Astoria who waved back pleasantly. "Everyone is invited but the ones with special invitations like these get to take mystery party bags home with them. There's a different surprise inside for each special guest. Here, give one to Draco as well if he's not too busy," she said, pulling out an extra for him to take.

Greg who was too stunned by Pansy having a date that he merely took the invitation without a word. Pansy got on tip-toe and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Don't be a stranger now. Save me a dance, alright?" She winked.

Greg nodded as he watched her sashay out of the café. He started walking mechanically back to Blaise and Astoria's table. He sat down, dropping the invitations unceremoniously down in front of him.

"She has a date...she has a date and she kissed my cheek," he said glumly.

"Yup," Blaise said, making the _'p'_ pop. "We all saw."

Astoria gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh, don't give up, Greg. Pansy has always had a string of flings but that's all they've ever been- flings." She gripped his wrist and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Maybe this party is your chance to sweep her off her feet."

"Not in that suit he isn't." Blaise snorted, pointing his fork in Greg's direction.

Astoria glared at him evenly. "If you have such an opinion on everything then why don't you go help him pick suitable attire for the ball, then."

"Uhh that's OK, Astoria." Greg laughed lightly, going back to eating his cake. "I'm sure I'll manage."

"No, you're hopeless. Besides, it's not just the suit that makes the man. Like Astoria said earlier, a woman stays for a bloke's personality in the end. Once you have the suit, you'll need to know the proper way to talk to a woman."

"That's it, Blaise! You should prep Greg for the party!" Astoria grinned, excitement rolling off of her in waves.

Greg nearly choked on his cake. "W-What?!"

Blaise raised a lazy eyebrow at his fiancée's suggestion, sighing after a long moment of watching her hopelessly hopeful expression.

"Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Are you seriously going to prep me?" Greg gawked.

"If I don't, I know Astoria will never let me hear the end of it," Blaise said dryly. "In exchange, I better get a fucking good bachelor party from you and Draco."

"No strippers," Astoria said straight away, frowning in disapproval.

"Where's the fun in that?" Blaise smirked as Astoria slapped his arm. "Easy. I'm just kidding. But the same goes for you. Tell Pansy and those other silly friends of yours not to hire a male stripper for your bachelorette."

Astoria rolled her eyes. "They know me better than that."

"Alright then." Blaise placed both hands on the table. "If we're doing this, we should go now."

"_Now?"_ Greg's eyes widened.

"No better time than the present, mate."

Astoria smiled. "I'd go with you both but my mother and I are wedding planning together. I suppose I'll just have to be as surprised as Pansy will be." She stood up and grabbed her small purse. She kissed Blaise briefly, giggling a bit when he pulled her in for another one. She turned to Greg with a smile and squeezed his shoulder encouragingly. "Good luck, I'll see you both later."

Blaise stood up from the table, leaving a small pouch of Galleons on the table. "Let's get going. We only have an hour or so before the shops close."

"But..." Greg looked longingly at his chocolate cake.

Blaise rolled his eyes as he hauled Greg out of his seat, barely giving him enough time to grab the Galleons Blaise had given him earlier.

"Come on!"

* * *

><p>"Let off enough steam?" Draco muttered when he heard Hermione re-enter the hut. He cracked one eye open and then the other as he studied her curiously. She had only returned briefly to drop off a plate of food for him and grabbing some clothes before disappearing once again. "You've been gone over two hours. How long does it fucking take to wash one shirt?" he spat.<p>

"I took a hike through the jungle to get to your villa. Decided to have dinner there and take a shower while I was at it. I was quite happy to take my time. Afterward, I thought I'd take a look around to double check and see if there really were no healing potions around for you. No such luck." Hermione sighed. "I did find this, though," she said, dumping her beaded purse onto the bed, rifled through it quickly before withdrawing a small plastic container with some sort of yellowy clear substance inside.

Draco gave the container a wary glance. "...What is it?"

"It's a salve commonly used for colds and fevers in my world. Before you complain about using something muggle-made, you should know this will cure your fever in no time," Hermione stated matter-of-factly, removing the top of the container.

"You sure it's not some type of poison?" Draco asked, giving her a withering look.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're so paranoid..." She froze suddenly, biting her lip as she cast her eyes down.

"What's with you?"

"I...need you to take off your shirt again, please." When Draco arched an eyebrow, she sighed. "Traditionally, it's supposed to be applied to ones chest so...please take off your shirt."

Draco gave her a long look before lifting his shirt over his head and dropped it down beside him. Hermione kneeled down next to him, scooping up a generous amount of salve before placing her hand flat against Draco's chest, gently spreading the salve all over the sharp planes of it. The intensity of his gaze made her uncomfortable as she smoothed it out against his lean muscles. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her hand, making her pause momentarily over it.

"Merlin...you have one after all."

"Have what?" Draco asked flatly.

"A heart." Hermione smiled genuinely. "You have a heart."

For a long moment, they merely stared at one another other as if they'd never seen each other, before Hermione realized her hand had lingered too long on his chest. Hermione made an embarrassed sound in the back of her throat, quickly jerking her hand away as she did so.

"Sorry umm...well, it's getting late. I should wash the dishes."

Draco suddenly grabbed her wrist as he looked up at her. "I want hot chocolate."

Hermione blinked. "Sure. Just give me a minute."

Hermione tugged on her wrist and Draco slowly released it, watching her as she walked out of the hut. She fought the urge to touch her wrist. It still tingled slightly where Draco had touched it. As soon as she walked into the kitchen, she boiled a kettle of milk and searched the cabinets for packets of powdered chocolate. Hermione sat at the picnic table with her chin perched in her palms as she waited for the milk to heat up. She had been surprised that Draco had been so willing to let her touch him...then again he had declared before that he wanted her to take full responsibility by taking care of him in every way.

Hermione rolled her eyes at this. Typical of him to blame her for something so mundane. The screeching of the kettle pulled Hermione out of her daze. She hastily grabbed two mugs and poured an equal amount of milk and powdered chocolate into them. She beamed when she found just enough whipped cream and caramel for the both of them. They were precariously put on a silver tray, before Hermione made her way back to the hut. Gently putting the tray down on her nightstand, she turned around to face Draco who was looking at her expectantly.

"Do you need help sitting up?" Hermione asked.

"I can manage."

Draco slowly sat up, placing his pillow against the wall as he reclined back. His legs dangling from over the side of the cot. Hermione stepped forward with his hot chocolate. Their fingers brushed together accidentally as she handed Draco the mug. Hermione quickly retreated to her bed and grabbed her _Jane Eyre_ copy she had recovered earlier from her beaded bag. She sat cross-legged on the bed as she flipped to the page she had bookmarked. Draco could hardly argue about her reading while in his condition. And to be honest, it had felt like far too long since she had read a good book. She was at the part where Jane had saved Mr. Rochester after discovering that his room was on fire. Hermione smiled and shook her head at Mr. Rochester's changeable nature, telling Jane to go only to ask _'Are you leaving me?' _moments later.

"I assume that must be an interesting book," Draco mumbled, holding his cup up to his lips as he stared at her over the rim of it.

"Quite. It's one of my favorites."

"What's it about?"

Hermione bit her lip before speaking. "It's about a woman named Jane who has lived with a horrible family all her life only to be shipped off to boarding school under the stern ruling of an evangelical man named Mr. Brocklehurst. She lives out the rest of her childhood there until she's eighteen and is finally free to go and do as she pleases. She immediately begins seeking employment, shortly finding herself a job as a governess in a place called Thornfield Hall where she is to teach the child of Mr. Rochester, her employer."

Draco smirked. "I can sense some sort of forbidden love between governess and employer brewing up, am I right?"

"That's right but what Jane doesn't know is that Mr. Rochester is harboring a dark secret."

"Doesn't everyone?" Draco deadpanned. "What person can say they're not keeping some sort of secret, especially from the people they love most? Like you hiding your financial problems from the Weasel."

Hermione thinned her lips. "Goyle told you, huh? Well, what's_ your_ dark secret then?" she asked snidely.

"You're mine."

Hermione gave Draco an odd disgruntled look, feeling anger blossoming in her chest at the possession she sensed in his words.

"You're my dark secret, I mean." Draco chuckled. "I had to lie to my mother in order to bring you here. Told her I was going away on a business trip...with my girlfriend."

Hermione scoffed. "Don't tell me _I'm_ the girlfriend in your pathetic story."

"Don't worry, Granger. I told my mother I had some impossibly beautiful girlfriend. She'll never suspect I was talking about_ you."_

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "Out of curiosity, what name _did_ you give her?" she asked, ignoring his earlier comment.

Draco rolled his eyes. "What do you care? Anyway, I couldn't think up of a name so I just told her my girlfriend would have to be a surprise...but now that I think of it. I could have used your middle name. What was it...something a J?"

"Jean," Hermione said, canting her head.

"Yeah...that's it." Draco smirked. "Jean definitely sounds a lot nicer than Hermione, that's for sure. Were your parents drunk when they named you or something?"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione growled, slamming her book shut. "It comes from a Shakespearean play, not that you would know. It may not be the most conventional name, but it's the name my parents gave me so I love it all the same."

"Ah, yes," Draco drawled. "Your muggle parents. What were they again, denters?"

"_Dentists_."

"Do you aspire to follow in their footsteps?"

"When I was a child, I suppose I did." Hermione half-shrugged. "I used to go with them to work once in a while and watch them work. They were my tooth fairies." She laughed lightly. "They paid me generously for my teeth."

"Tooth fairies?" Draco crinkled his forehead. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"They don't actually exist," Hermione clarified with a shake of her head. "Where I'm from, parents tell their children stories about a fairy that comes to collect their teeth and in exchange for their teeth, she would leave a coin or money under their pillow. My parents always paid me up front, though."

"You muggles are strange. Who would leave money in exchange for teeth? That's just stupid." Draco snorted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's just a story. Weren't you ever told bedtime stories or did your parents just tell you the stuff of nightmares?"

"My parents wouldn't but whenever my grandfather, Abraxas would come over, he'd tell me all sorts of stories up 'till the time of his death. He died just months before I received my letter to Hogwarts."

"For a child in mourning, you had a funny way of showing it." At the glare she received from Draco, she shrunk back against her pillow shamefully. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You must really miss him."

Draco tilted his head back as he stared up at the beige cross-hatched ceiling. "No, not really. If you lived my life, you'd see that death is something you get used to very quickly."

"We don't have to talk about your family if you don't want to, Malfoy." Hermione bit her lip. "Maybe...maybe you can tell me about what sort of career you're interested in."

"I already have a career."

"Really? What is it?" Hermione smiled encouragingly.

"You might find out sooner or later." Draco sighed. "Maybe. It all depends on what kind of situation I'm forced into."

"Or you could just tell me."

"Or not." Draco gave her a flat look. "Only Greg is aware of my business. I haven't event told my mother yet."

Hermione's eyes widened. "How could you not tell her?"

"Because it...it involves a matter we would disagree on. It's just complicated, alright?"

"Alright." Hermione nodded, licking her lips as she wondered what they could talk about. "Alright so we can't talk about your family or your career...what _would_ you like to talk about?"

"Nothing. I'm gonna head to sleep." Draco laid down and set down his empty mug beside his cot.

"Really?" Hermione couldn't help but feel disappointed. She and Draco had actually been getting along more or less today.

"Yup," Draco said dryly.

Hermione dimmed the oil lamp as she watched Draco settle back under his covers. She watched how his face relaxed against the moonlight streaming in from the barred window, making his alabaster skin glow. She shook her head with a smile as she grabbed her _Jane Eyre_ book once again and picked up where she had left off. For the longest while, she was absorbed by the tale. Hermione was now at the part where Jane and Mr. Rochester had professed their passionate love for one another, before running back to Thornfield hall to get out of the rain.

Unbeknownst to them, the oak tree they had professed their love under had been split in two by lightning, foreshadowing the hardships that were to come. That was when Hermione heard thunder, making her jump up and let out a squeak. She quickly glanced at Draco to see that while she hadn't woken him, his face was twisted into a scowl of anguish as his hands clenched his blanket. Hermione watched him uncertainly for a moment, before getting up to stand over him. ''

"Draco," she whispered over the sound of heavy rain fall. "Draco, you're having a nightmare," she said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

The second he felt her hand on him, he lashed out and pulled her down. Hermione yelped as she fell on top of Draco, her hands coming to rest on either side of his head. She raised her head and watched him wide-eyed through her curtain of curls. Draco's eyes fluttered half way open a few times, looking at Hermione as if he wasn't really seeing her. Just as Hermione tried to climb off of him, he rolled them over so that Hermione was now laying on her side this time, his arm anchoring her waist in place.

Hermione pressed her hands against Draco's chest, clenching against the fabric fearfully, all the while wondering if he would really try to take advantage of her despite their circumstances. Draco blinked as he studied Hermione's face. It was then that Hermione realized their faces were only centimeters a part. She could feel Draco's warm breath against her lips, making her stare down at his mouth instinctively. Hermione's gaze quickly retreated back to his eyes- those demon eyes on the face of an angel.

"Are..." Hermione swallowed, trying to put some distance between them by pressing on his chest again but to no avail. "Are you alright? What were you dreaming about?"

Draco blinked sleepily. "Alaric," he murmured.

Hermione bit her lip as her brows drew together sympathetically. "I'm sorry...is there anything you need? Do you want to talk about it maybe? Do you want me to bring you water or tea?"

"Just stay."

Hermione's heart lodged in her throat at his request. "But I-

"_Stay_," he said again, slowly removing his arm and settling it back to his side.

At that moment as she watched Draco slowly drift back to sleep, Hermione couldn't deny him. She grabbed the covers and pulled them over herself. She pillowed her head on one hand, watching Draco sleep pensively. Never would she have thought that she would be in bed with a Death Eater, albeit a former one, and definitely not under these kind of circumstances either. _'First time for everything'_, her earlier words at Draco echoed inside her head. Hermione sighed as she laid down as well and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you guys liked it! Plz R/R. :) A lot of tension as well as sweet moments in this chapter. I really enjoyed giving Draco the opportunity to drop his guard around Hermione and actually taking her advice by getting to know her. O.O I really wasn't expecting to have a NevillexLuna scene but the idea of the couple made sense, especially since I found their hand holding scene in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 to be so cute. XD I swear sometimes these scenes write themselves. In the next chapter, we'll have one of the girls masquerading as Hermione while Draco goes to investigate Pansy's ball to see if he really kidnapped the wrong Hermione or not.**

** I feel like chapter seven will be very necessary seeing as how I can't imagine the gang being able to sit still until they can perform their next Summoning Spell. It just wouldn't make sense for them to be idle when there's other things that can be done in the mean time to try to bring Hermione back. It's going to be very exciting to watch them get super close to the truth! Not to mention exciting for Hermione to be out in the real world again with a higher chance of escaping but we'll see how that goes...So stay tuned and plz R/R! You awesome readers are what keep me going. **

**Now onto the preview I promised I'd be giving every chapter starting with this one:**

**Chapter 7: The Doppelganger**

_Greg came dashing into the hut, his hands clutching both sides of the threshold as he stumbled forward. _

_"Draco! " Greg shouted._

_Draco's glower faltered as he shifted his gaze away from Hermione to Greg. His shoulders were still tense but he slowly unballed his fists. _

_"What is it?"_

_Greg's chest heaved up and down as he stared at Draco with wild eyes. _

_"There was- there was an article about Granger in _The Proph_-"_

_Draco ground his jaw, moving it side to side a bit. "Yes, yes. I'm quite aware of that article." He grabbed _The Prophet_ and threw it onto the floor in anger, the front page revealing an image of Hermione in a glamorous gown at a charity ball of all things. "T__hings have changed drastically."_

_"So..." Greg swallowed. "Is- is she really the wrong Granger?"_

_"That remains to be seen," Draco murmured darkly, crossing his arms as he watched Hermione. "She knows Occulemsy and there's that damn potion she invented to fight against Veritaserum. I'll never know if she really speaks the truth or not. The only way is to go to the charity ball and investigate myself. We're going. All three of us," he said with a finality that made it clear it was not open for discussion. _

_"What? No, that's too risky! I can't let you do that!" Greg cried out, striding up to Draco. "Potter and everyone else will definitely be there."_

_"I have no choice," Draco said through grit teeth. "I can't let this die if I have the wrong girl."_

_"I told you you had the wrong girl." Hermione glared daggers at him. "From the beginning, that's what I've been trying to tell you."_

_Draco suddenly turn on her with narrowed eyes. "Let's say for one second you're not Granger then why did you take her place? Why charm yourself and take over Granger's identity?"_

_"It's not like I have a say in what she wants. I'm just a doppelganger she created to protect herself," Hermione lied through her teeth, giving Draco a smug look._

_"And from whom would she need to protect herself from exactly?" Draco asked quietly. "From me?" Before Hermione could speak, he laughed darkly and said, "She can't protect herself from me, love. If what you say is true, I'll get my hands on her very soon. The only reason she would use a duplicate of herself as a decoy is if she knew I was coming for her for something she knew she did wrong."_

_At this, Hermione eyes widened. Of course, he would jump to _that_ conclusion. Hermione groaned inwardly, trying to think up a quick retaliation. _

_"She intended on using me to aid Harry in his Auror missions soon," Hermione said breezily, surprised at how natural that lie sounded. _

_Greg glared daggers at Hermione. "We can't trust anything she says. J__ust _'Imperio'_ her to tell you the truth and have it be done with?"_

_"Because my wand inspection with Potter is coming up soon." Draco growled. "I used the _Imperius Curse_ on Granger while I was drunk and then again when she was magically bound to the tree. It's going to look suspicious if I keep using it. You're also a close link of mine so I can't risk you using the _Imperius_ as well."_

_Greg cursed under his breath as he started pacing back and forth. "What are you gonna tell Potter?"_

_"That I used it in self-defense."_

_Hermione scoffed. "You're pathetic."_

_Draco rounded on Hermione. "You really don't want to cross me right now. You'll pay if I find you made me waste my time searching for a fake Granger at this ball."_

_"You're despicable, Malfoy," Hermione hissed. "Lying to me like that, pretending to be ill! And for what? To mess with me? To make me...to make me feel _sorry_ for you?!" She stood up from her bed, the chain attached to her iron anklet clinking with every step she took. She prodded a finger against his chest, getting right in his face. "I thought I felt sorry for you and I _hated_ myself for it! You have no idea how confusing it is to feel pity and hate and hope for your redemption all at once. It's so damn overwhelming! I can't take it anymore," she huffed, her chest heaving up and down in exertion. _

_Draco grabbed both of her wrists and forced them down against her sides as he stared her down through narrowed eyes. _

_"I tend to have that affect on people," he confessed with a cocky tone, squeezing her wrists. "Be careful, Granger. If anyone heard your little outburst just now they might just mistake it for love. You did confess your love for me once before even if it was under false pretenses."_

_Hermione laughed dryly. "I'm not playing the _'I love you'_ game. The first time was a joke not so many mornings ago over breakfast." Her jaw set tightly. "Believe me when I say there won't be said a second time, joke or not."_

_"I'm afraid you'll have to." Draco leaned down close to her face, his eyes holding a dangerous glint. "You will dress yourself pretty for tonight, hold onto my arm and act the part of my lover. I know that's something you'll hate more than anything so I can't imagine a better punishment for all of the trouble you've caused me."_


	7. The Doppleganger

_"We fight to cover up the scars from our charade. There's a war between who we are and who we make believe. It's over now, we're falling." - Glass House ~ Red_

**Cracked Armor**

_Chapter 7: The Doppelganger_

* * *

><p>"So...which one of you is willing to masquerade as Hermione for tonight's ball?" Harry asked, pacing in front of Pansy's blazing fireplace.<p>

"Oh, I'll do it. It shouldn't be a problem," Pansy chirped, sipping her wine.

At this, Harry and Ron exchanged wary glances while Ginny gave a very unladylike snort from the couch across from Pansy.

"You can't pull off Hermione," Ron stated flatly.

Pansy arched an eyebrow. _"Excuse me?"_ she asked, her lips pressed into a thin line of irritation.

Harry winced. "Pansy, what he's trying to say is that you and Hermione are...different," he said, choosing his words carefully. "We're just not sure you can portray her properly."

"That's the understatement of the century," Ron muttered.

Pansy glared at him. "Well, then, enlighten us." She spread her arms out in a mocking welcome. "Why don't_ you_ act as your ex-girlfriend this evening, Weasley?"

"Listen, you-

"Alright!" Ginny stood up, squaring her shoulders. She blew a strand of hair away from her face impatiently. "That's enough. _I'll_ play Hermione. She's _my_ best friend, it should be me. I know her better than anyone."

"But you lack my exquisite acting skills," Pansy pointed out matter-of-factly.

Harry sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "_Whoever_ does it needs to stay in character the whole time. They need to stay emotionally neutral no matter what kind of situation you find yourself in," Harry stressed, regarding each girl seriously.

Pansy gaped at him. "I'm _perfect_ for that!"

Ron growled. "You're not parading around as Hermione and that's the end of it. And it's definitely not gonna be Ginny because I'll be expected to act romantic with her in order to keep the media off our backs. That is definitely not happening."

Neville finally spoke up after a long moment of contemplation. "So that leaves Luna." He picked up a small half sandwich with a little olive poking through it from the array of finger food and pastries scattered all over the glass coffee table.

Pansy scoffed. "You don't really expect_ Looney Lovegood_ can pull it off."

"I don't see why not," Neville replied cooly, fixing Pansy with a steady gaze. "Luna's the best at charms. She's also the closest one of all of us to bring Hermione back. Not to mention, they're both extremely intelligent."

He and Luna exchanged smiles at this. He looked away to look at Harry and Ron.

"But it's up to you guys."

Harry nodded. "Luna _would_ make a good pick but ultimately it's Ron's choice alone." He turned to look at his best friend. "What do you think?"

Ron hummed as he turned his head to look at Luna. "Honestly, I think Luna would be best. I'd be comfortable at least."

"Excuse me. _I'm_ the one who came up with this idea and I'm also the one paying out of my own pocket to help all of you. Believe me when I say how I will _shock_ you at my entirely believable performance of Hermione Granger." Pansy chewed her lip and pouted. "She's worked for me a good while, which means I've spent a great deal of time with her. Besides, it's not fair to play favorites."

Ginny sighed. "I hate to say this but she has a point." She glanced up at Ron. "She is the one paying for everything. Might as well give her a shot. If she screws things up, Luna can always switch with her."

Luna bit her lip in thought. "No, wait...if you think about it. As you mentioned before, Ron, you would be expected to act romantic with whoever pretends to be Hermione in order to get the media's attention away from you. Right now the media is trying to find out whether the break up between Ron and Hermione is true. Perhaps you _should_ pair up with Pansy. All the reporters will see you're clearly fighting but still together. If I charm myself to look like Hermione and we act amiably toward each other, then that will only urge Rita Skeeter to keep digging for dirt." Luna grinned lop-sidedly. "I say if they want a story, give them what they want. Make it count."

"_Thank you_," Pansy sighed in relief, tossing her hands up into the air. "Finally, there's someone sensible around here. Umm...no offense for calling you Looney earlier."

"None taken," Luna said good-naturedly. "I really do believe Pansy could play Hermione, but you decide what's best, Ron. I know this can't be an easy decision for you."

Ron's eyes softened. "Alright..." He groaned, clawing his hand down his face. "You have a point...Pansy it is, I guess," he mumbled.

"Good. You won't regret it," Pansy swore. "Besides, people may assume the hostility to be just...romantic tension."

Ron snorted. "Doubtful."

Harry leaned back against the mantle. "So it's settled then." He turned to Ginny. "Fill her in on certain Hermione mannerisms."

"I'm on it. Not to mention on her evening wear." She cast a distasteful glance in Pansy's direction.

"What?" Pansy blinked.

"We're not having Hermione dress out of character," Ginny stated flatly.

"What exactly do you mean by _'out of character'_?" Pansy asked, crossing her arms over her chest, obviously offended.

Ron now stood directly in front of her. "It means we're not having my girl-" He cut himself off and corrected himself quickly. "Hermione dress like a tart."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "No one will be dressing like a tart. The girl has good taste when it comes to helping me pick out clothes but her own fashion choices leave much to be desired, that poor dear girl." Pansy _'tsk'_ed. "I will make Hermione look classy for the first time in her life. You can count on it."

At this, Harry and Ron exchanged wary glances before looking to Ginny.

"_Help her_," they both urged, to which Pansy huffed in indignation.

* * *

><p>There was an overwhelming amount of warmth in the room. This wasn't the usual sweltering heat cloaking the island. This was a pleasant blanket of warmth that surrounded Hermione. She welcomed it and snuggled deeper into its welcome embrace. A sigh against her hair made Hermione's eyes flutter open half way. The scent of faint salve wafted into her nose. Hermione slowly glanced up and saw Draco's serene sleeping face tilted down toward her own. She stiffened in his arms, every nerve inside of her suddenly becoming hyper-aware of Draco's closeness. She yelped before she could help it and pushed him away, making him roll out of bed. Draco groaned upon impact, whipping his head instantly in Hermione's direction.<p>

"What the hell, Granger?!"

Hermione matched his glare. "That's what I should be saying!" Her hands clenched against the blanket. "You_ dragged_ me into your bed last night."

Draco groaned as he rubbed his temples. "I must have been half asleep and half out of my wits." He paused, giving her a leveled look. "You _chose_ to stay with me, though. No one forced you."

Hermione stared back at him in horror, slowly covering her face with both hands as she realized the truth behind his words.

"Oh, dear Merlin...I must have been half out of _my_ wits as well." She slowly peeked through her hands to find Draco staring pointedly at her with one raised eyebrow. "I've...I've gotta go. I need to...make breakfast. Yes! Yes, I have to go make breakfast," she muttered to herself.

Hermione swung her legs off the bed, not even bothering to put on her sandles as she rushed out of there as if the devil were at her heels. No sooner had she shut the restroom door behind her that she turned the sink on and began frantically splashing water onto her face. She stared wide-eyed at her reflection, her cheeks flushed a light pink from the memory of waking up in Draco's arms. She grasped at her temples, impatiently pushing her curls back from her face.

_'Ugh! Don't think about it anymore. Malfoy would take great pleasure in knowing he got under your skin, Hermione. Just move forward like things are perfectly normal.' _Hermione made a face._ 'Well, as normal as things get around here considering I was kidnapped, and am currently being held hostage in the Bermuda Triangle by two of my old classmates.'_

She squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush, brushing her teeth distractedly. Draco had actually been quite..._vulnerable_ last night. He had seemed like a small child who just needed his brother with him. Why couldn't he always be that pleasant? Hermione rinsed her mouth and spit, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She poked her head out the door, turning this way and that. There was no sign of Greg. She frowned. It was strange that he wasn't here yet to obey Draco's every command. She could really use his help taking care of Draco. Hermione headed toward the kitchen, never daring to glance back at the hut. For the longest time, she merely stood in the center of the kitchen, staring blankly at the cabinets. She leaned against the sink, sighing deeply as she rubbed at her eyes.

_'Stop overthinking it! It's not like you had sex with him for crying out loud! And _he_ was the one who pulled you into the bed, not the other way around, remember?'_ Hermione groaned in aggravation.

After she finished preparing some eggs and toast for both of them, she realized she finally had to face the music. Hermione heaved a long sigh before walking across the expanse of the clearing until she reached the hut. The door had been left wide open from where she had made her hasty exit.

"Hey," she said quietly, her eyes finding the floor interesting.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "May I help you?"

"Breakfast is ready. I thought maybe you might want to get out of this hut and get some fresh air."

Draco regarded her for a long moment before closing his book and setting it aside.

"Sure, why not."

"Good...good." Hermione awkwardly clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her as she glanced over at the hut. "Umm...let me help you get to the table."

Draco sat up slowly, letting Hermione drape his arm over her shoulder while she wrapped an arm securely around his waist. He slid his legs out of the cot, putting most of his weight on Hermione's shoulder as she carefully led him across the clearing toward the miniature mess hall. Once they reached it, Hermione carefully sat him down on the bench, before pouring them each a glass of juice. She sat down opposite of him, picking at her eggs as she watched Draco eat.

"What?" Draco asked, annoyed.

Hermione averted her gaze, focusing on the picnic table instead.

"Nothing...I just- I was just wondering how you were feeling." Hermione gave a small shrug.

"Terrible. Duh."

Hermione wrinkled her brow. "That's strange that you're not feeling at least a little bit better. But the effects_ are_ different for everyone. I'll just stick to feeding you soup and porridge from now on."

"You mean that shit you call food?"

Hermione gave him a dry look. "Don't give me that. You know you like my cooking."

"Someone thinks highly of herself," Draco muttered.

"No such thing. I just refuse to sit here listening to you lie about my cooking. My cooking is decent," Hermione stated, stapling her hands together.

"It's adequate at best."

"Would it kill you to be honest once in a while?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Quite possibly. More." Draco held out his empty glass.

"We've been over this." Hermione sighed. "What's the magic word?"

Draco smirked. "More..._now_."

Hermione shook her head, snatching the glass out of his hand so she could refill the glass half way.

_'Typical. We really are more like ourselves when we argue.'_

She sat back down, chewing thoughtfully on her toast. "So...erm where exactly is Goyle? I haven't seen him since the day before yesterday?"

"Since when are you concerned over Goyle's whereabouts?" Draco gave her a suspicious look.

Hermione held her hands up in defense. "I'm _just_ curious. He's usually lurking around, ready to do your bidding."

"You make him sound like a servant."

"More like an evil sidekick," Hermione corrected, forking a piece of egg into her mouth. "So where is he?"

"I gave him some time off to enjoy himself. Does it really matter?" Draco snorted. "You're not gonna be able to get him on your side, you know? Not only is Greg loyal to me alone, after that little stunt you pulled a couple days ago, there's no way he'll trust you again."

Hermione made a face. "I've given up on getting him on my side. I was just making conversation with him that time. If I'm gonna be held captive here for who knows how long, I'd at least like someone to talk to."

"Greg has better things to do than to put up with nonsense from some bushy-haired Know-It-All."

"I'll have you know we were actually getting along just fine."

"Right," Draco said sarcastically. "Up until you tricked him that is."

Hermione pursed her lips guiltily. "I didn't _want_ to trick him, Malfoy. I saw a chance to escape so I had to take it. If you or Goyle were in my position, you would have done the same thing...and more with your Slytherin cunning."

A smirk spread across Draco's lips. "You've got that right."

Hermione smiled "Goyle's loyalty is commendable, I'll give him that. He really thinks highly of you, you know." She noticed Draco's face soften ever so slightly at that. "...I personally don't see what all the fuss is about," she said, causing Draco to roll his eyes.

"Maybe one day I'll ask Goyle to clear that up for me."

"Don't talk to him anymore," Draco warned. "I never imagined you'd be giving him this much trouble."

"You can't expect me to do nothing when I have people wondering where I am."

"I can definitely ease your worries on that subject, Granger," Draco drawled.

"How?" Hermione blinked.

"Simple." Draco gave a half-shrug as he chewed on his toast. "I'll just _Obliviate_ their memories of you and that will be the end of that. No more worrying on their part and you can cease your frivolous need to try to escape at every turn. You won't have a reason to return if your friends and your impotent boyfriend can't remember who you are."

Hermione let out a tiny gasp and pointed a finger in Draco's direction.

"Malfoy, don't you dare! That would be the lowest thing you could ever do to someone!" she cried out.

Draco snorted derisively and rolled his eyes. "There's always worse things you can do to someone. _Always_."

"Just think about it for a moment. Imagine everyone forgetting you ever existed," Hermioned murmured solemnly. "I don't think I'd be able to bear it."

_'Not again,'_ she thought, recalling how she had once had to _'Obliviate'_ her own parents memories of herself.

"Granger, I would consider that more of a blessing than a curse."

Heremione stared at him in wonder for the longest moment before realization dawned in her eyes. Considering how Draco and his mother are still treated like lowly Death Eaters, it would make sense that he would want society's memory erased.

"You're not a Death Eater anymore," Hermione said quietly. "...You once told me that our scars are what define us- your Death Eater mark and my Mudblood scar but that's not true. That's not true at all. Appearance, evils of the past- none of that matters. What matters is the person you are right now in the present and the person you _want_ to be."

Draco's nostrils flared lightly before turning to look away. "It's kind of too heavy a subject to have over breakfast, don't you think?"

Hermione inclined her head in understanding, realizing she had crossed some sort of line once again.

"Do you...want more?" Hermione asked, gesturing at Draco's near empty plate.

"No, I've lost my appetite," Draco muttered snidely, pushing his plate away.

Hermione cleared the table away, glancing at Draco every now and then as she washed the dishes. She walked back to his side, leaving at least two feet of space between them.

"I was thinking...instead of having you cooped up in my room, maybe we can spend most of the day outside. The sun and fresh air would be good for you."

Draco shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters. We need to get you feeling better soon. Come on, I wanna try something. It's an exercise I do to help myself relax sometimes."

Hermione lent her shoulder to Draco and wrapped her arm around his waist once more. She carefully led him down the short steps and helped him sit down at the center of the clearing.

Draco's brows furrowed. "What exactly are you having us do here?"

Hermione laid down on the grass, her hair fanning out all around her. "We're gonna look up at the clouds and tell each other what we see."

"And the point of that is...?"

"No point. It's just for fun," Hermione chirped. "You do remember what _fun_ is, right? That thing that brings joy to everyone?"

"Fun varies according to the person," Draco mumbled dryly.

Hermione grabbed him by the back of his shirt without warning and yanked him down beside her.

"Just do it. You should try something new once in a while."

Draco gave her a disgruntled look. "This is stupid."

"You haven't given it a chance yet." Hermione pouted. "Just relax and enjoy the view."

"We're looking at clouds," Draco stated blankly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious." She laid down on her side, observing him. "For a guy who grew up having everything, you'd think he would have done this kind of thing as a kid. Open up your mind, use your imagination." She laughed lightly. "Now look up and tell me what you see."

Draco sighed. "It's not like I have anything better to do." He crossed his arms behind his head. "I see...I don't know." He sighed again. "... a unicorn, I guess."

Hermione squinted hard at the sky. "Liar. There's no unicorn."

"Fine. There's a fucking Hippogriff." Draco shot her a dirty look.

"There's no hippogriff either. Come on, Malfoy. Just try. Look, I'll tell you what I see first. I see...a one winged swan."

"There's a crocodile about to devour the swan." Hermione looked back at the image in a sky. "Gruesome but accurate." Hermione smiled at him. "Good. What else do you see?"

* * *

><p>"I think the dark gray suit would suit the gentleman just fine," chirped the female clerk.<p>

"I think you're right." Blaise place his hand under his chin thoughtfully as he inspected the suit his friend donned himself.

Greg stood on a small platform at the far back of the tailor shop, internally cringing at the stares he got from random people walking by. If there was one thing he hated, it was to be put on the spot like this.

He gave Blaise a disgruntled look. "I liked the black one better," he mumbled.

"Of course you do but the idea is to stand out. More than half of the blokes showing up tonight will be in either black or white. Stick with the gray."

"But-

"Sorry, I was led to believe that you wanted my advice," Blaise said condescendingly, crossing his arms behind his back as he circled Greg.

"Well, yes but-

"Then no buts,just do as you're told." Blaise smiled- to Greg's surprise- at the lady. "Miss..." He glanced briefly at her nametag. "Nel, may I see your selection of ties?"

"Yes, sir, we have a wide array of ties in all colors." Nel picked up a blue tie. "If I may interject, I think a blue tie would bring out the color in your friend's eyes." She glanced down shyly, a light pink blush blooming across the apple of her cheeks.

"You heard her. How about the bright blue one with black stripes?" Blaise asked, holding up the tie so that Greg could inspect it himself.

"Yeah, that one's alright," Greg said off-handedly.

Blaise turned to Nel. "My friend and I have a charity ball to attend this evening. I'm going to need you to make alterations to the sleeves. They're too loose and a tad too long."

Nel bit her lip in thought. "It is kind of short notice but its doable. Would around eight o' clock be alright?"

"Sounds perfect." Blaise gestured to the changing rooms. "Get changed. We're going to get you a haircut."

Greg swung around to face Blaise with a curious expression. "A what?" He ran his hand through his hair. "I just had one about three months ago."

Blaise arched an eyebrow, looking unimpressed as he gave the top of Greg's head a quick perusal.

"Right. Except that's the same haircut you've had since third year. You're overdue for a change." He pushed Greg toward the changing rooms. "Don't worry, we're not gonna do anything drastic. It's just gonna be a slightly different haircut minus your bangs. Now hurry up."

As soon as Greg had finished changing, they were on their way to the barber shop. They were quiet as they walked until Blaise decided to break the silence.

"Greg, if I asked you a question, would you guarantee me an honest response?"

Greg gave him a curious look before his mouth stretched out into a sly grin. "You're asking a Slytherin of all people to be honest?"

"I'm being serious, mate."

"Alright...I'll try."

"...Is Draco still in love with Astoria?"

"What? No, what gave you that idea?" Greg shifted his gaze away, recalling the letters Astoria has been sending Draco. It wasn't a lie exactly. Draco certainly wasn't in love with Astoria. The fact that Astoria was still in love with Draco was something that Blaise didn't have to know. It's like Draco told him once. Lies are sometimes a kindness.

"Because I think Astoria might still be in love with him."

_'So much for not having to tell him,'_ Greg thought sarcastically.

Blaise sighed as he leaned against the wall. "I was over at her house one night to pick her up for dinner. As I was waiting for her to get dressed, I noticed a book sitting on her dresser. It wasn't the book that caught my attention, it was what was sticking out of it. When I opened the book to see the card, I saw it was a picture of you, me, Astoria, Draco and Pansy from Astoria's birthday party last year. She was holding onto my arm but her head was turned in Draco's direction with this..._adoring gaze_," Blaise hissed out. "She's never looked at me with that kind of love."

Greg's eyes softened with sympathy. "Umm...I'm sure you're just imagining things."

"Greg, this was tucked into the pages of her favorite book."

"Has- has she ever given you any reason to doubt her loyalty to you?" Greg asked awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. He certainly was _not_ the type of person to go to for these types of things.

"No..." Blaise frowned. "I know she's not that kind of person...it's just..." He sighed as he rubbed at his temples. "I can't help but wonder if maybe she still has feelings for him. They were a big thing for a long time, after all. Draco was the one who broke up with her, not the other way around."

"Come on, Blaise. She and Draco have been friends for a long time so that means that there's a deep history there. She doesn't throw things away that have meaning to her. It's not like you caught her with a love letter or anything like that, right?" Greg cracked his knuckles nervously. "Besides, you and Astoria are the ones getting married in four months. She chose _you_ not Draco and we all know Astoria has never been the kind of girl to do things half-heartedly."

"Yeah..." Blaise smiled. "I'm just being daft. I need to trust my girl." He lit his a cigarette before offering one to Greg, lighting it for him.

Greg placed the cigarette between his lips and took a long drag from it. He closed his eyes before exhaling. When he opened them, he saw a scantily clad woman in a long gray fur coat eyeing them from a few yards away. She started walking toward them, her blonde curls bouncing with each step. She now stood directly in front of them.

"Can I offer either of you gentleman an unforgettable night with me?" she purred.

"Engaged," Blaise said dryly, taking another drag of his cigarette.

"Engaged but not technically married yet." The whore pouted as she gazed at him with her green feline-like eyes. "Why not enjoy being single one last time before you tie the knot?"

"Piss off."

The woman turned to Greg. "What about you?"

Greg look away, his face flushed with embarrassment. "N-no, I'm good, thanks."

The woman laughed. "You're...good?" She slid her hand up and down his arm. "I can show you a _very_ good time. You won't regret it," she whispered into his ear.

"Are you deaf? He's not interested," Blaise drawled. He looked the girl up and down. "No offense but it's pretty sad when men have to pay to get laid. This guy," he said, jerking his thumb at Greg. "...is already a stud with the ladies so why don't you just beat it, sweetheart?"

The woman huffed as she tightened her fur coat around her waist and strode away, her heels clanking loudly against the cobblestones.

"A stud?" Greg doubled over in laughter.

Blaise shrugged. "Give or take some work with my help, of course." He paused in consideration. "You know I think that chit from the tailor shop fancied you. I think her name was Nel or something like that."

"What?" Greg guffawed. "Not even."

"It's not impossible. It's like Astoria said, you're a decent looking guy. I mean sure, your face and body contradict one another. A boyish face with a bulky body but hey, a lot of women are into that. It says _'This guy looks sensitive and yet strong enough to protect me.'_ Rule number one, use what you've got to your advantage."

"Right," Greg said dryly, tossing his cigarette into a trashcan before shoving his hands in his pockets. "And the rest of the rules?"

"I'll explain more of the rules after we get you a haircut." Blaise placed a hand on Greg's back, ushering him to walk faster. "Walk with me, talk with me and explain to me again why you like Pansy so much."

* * *

><p>There was quite an abundancy of herbs on this island of Draco's, Hermione had discovered. She had noticed a few of the medicinal ones during her stay here just not the ones that she thought would come in handy for her own situation. She kneeled under the shade of a tree with a woven bamboo basket sitting beside her.<p>

"What are you doing?" Draco asked from the river.

He had long since discarded his shirt and rolled his trousers up to his knees as he waded through the water. Hermione had decided that it would be good for him to get in the water to cool down, especially with the sun set in progress just over the tree tops.

"Picking herbs we can use for a stronger salve. I also found some I can put in your soup."

"Why are you making a potion for me all late?" Draco asked snidely.

Hermione shrugged lightly. "You were being a right prick as usual. Thought you should see what it's like for muggles when they don't have the convenience of potions at their disposal." An image of herself giving her mother medicinal herbs in her drink entered her mind.

Draco rolled his eyes. "A real muggle experience? Don't make me laugh."

Hermione ignored his comment as she turned away to inspect a mishapen mushroom.

"I'll get you better in no time, you'll see."

"Why would you even _want_ me to get better? You and I both know that I'll just put you back to work as soon as I'm back on my feet."

"True, true." Hermione cocked her head and gave a little side-ways nod. "But if you're any kind of decent human being, you'd be grateful enough to treat me even the tiniest bit nicer."

"But I'm _not_ a decent human being," Draco pointed out. "We've established that already."

"Fine. If you can't be nicer to me then how about that apple pie I requested about a week ago while I was picking apples for you?"

"Not that I'm actually considering it but why apple pie?"

Hermione finished picking a couple more flowers and herbs before joining Draco, sitting on the bank with her legs in the cool water. She perched her basket on her lap as she leaned forward with her arms wrapped around it.

"Apple pie a la mode was my favorite dessert when I was a kid. It reminds me of happy times. What about you, Malfoy? Any childhood favorites or quirks?"

"Not really."

"Don't be lame. There must be something."

"I don't really have a favorite anything. I was like any other child who was fond of sweets. My mother would owl me a box of them frequently."

Hermione smiled. "Aww, that was nice of her. I always missed out on getting mail and stuff owled to me what with my parents being muggle and all." Her face scrunched up in distaste. "The only time I ever started receiving mail was during sixth year from Cormac McLaggen. I guess it's like they say, _'Be careful what you wish for.'_ "

Draco raised an eyebrow. "McLaggen? What for?"

"He..." Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "He had a crush on me of sorts."

"You didn't fancy him back I take?" Draco smirked.

"Merlin, no." Hermione shivered. "Just thinking about his octopus hands repulses me."

Draco chuckled. "I didn't really know much about McLaggen other than what everyone else did- that he was a show off and thought he was big shit when he was really just little shit." Hermione surprised herself by actually laughing at this. "Really made the lot of you Gryffindors look worse than you already did."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You know most Gryffindors did not conduct themselves in the same manner that he did."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Draco waved at her dismissively. "Brave, self-righteous and all that. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you didn't end up in Ravenclaw. Would have suited you better."

"I was actually _supposed_ to be in Ravenclaw but the Sorting Hat let me choose Gryffindor. I had done extensive research on all four Houses before deciding Gryffindor was right for me."

Draco took firm steps forward, wading through the water, barely having to rely on the stones in between them to hold onto against the current. He placed the pads of his fingers against her forehead.

"I suppose it would have been impossible for a Goody Goody like you to have been placed in Slytherin. At least back then, the Sorting Hat wouldn't have been able to sense the slightest drop of evil in that brilliant mind of yours."

Hermione merely stared at him, stiffening up at his touch. Things were turning tense as they tended to do so often between them.

"No...but maybe the Sorting Hat might have found a drop of good in _you_." At this, Draco's hand dropped back to his side as if he'd been scorched. Hermione laughed lightly. "You could have easily ended up in Gryffindor."

Draco snorted. "Me? A Gryffindor? You're joking, right?"

"You're right. Red and gold wouldn't have flattered you." Hermione gave a non-committal shrug.

"Probably not but you probably would have looked interesting in green and black." Draco smirked.

"Maybe but you know with all the teasing you gave me at Hogwarts and if I had ended up in your House, I would have suspected you had a crush on me." Hermione matched his smirk. "You know what they say about guys that tease a particular girl too much."

Draco looked gobsmacked. "What the hell? Granger, I can guarantee that there's no universe where I would be crushing on you, though it's entirely possible that there are some where _you_ would crush on_ me_ because let's be logical, you liking me during Hogwarts would have been much more likely."

"What kind of girl falls for a guy who does nothing but ridicule her and her friends? I was and never have been masochistic." Hermione scrunched up her nose in disdain.

"Oh, come on. Haven't you ever heard of The Jerk Theory?"

"The what?" Hermione frowned.

Draco feigned surprise. "The smartest witch of our age not knowing something. It's simple. Women like men who are arseholes to them."

"Alright...I'm gonna humor you a bit." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "Based on what information exactly?"

"Observation. Where do you think the phrase _'Nice guys finish last.'_ comes from?"

"Not all women are the same as I've mentioned before," Hermione pointed out. Draco gave a shrug, looking on in disbelief. "If you believe in this so-called Jerk Theory, does that mean you treat women in that kind of manner?"

Draco shook his head. "I don't have to. I'm a Malfoy. That already makes me irresistible." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You are so full of it."

"We've gone over this. It's confidence not arrogance."

"Whatever. Come on. I'm gonna get started on dinner."

Hermione reached out a hand to help pull Draco out of the water. Just as his hand grabbed onto hers, an owl swooped in and landed beside Hermione.

"Is he the owl from last time?"

"Yeah."

Hermione tugged Draco onto the grass, keeping a steady hand on his back until she had made sure he was well balanced. Draco bent down to untie the newspaper from the owl's leg.

"I've never seen it bring newspapers to you before."

"Isn't there enough bad going on the world only to read it at every turn?" Draco asked, reaching into his pocket for an owl treat. "I like to keep up with certain things every once in a while, though."

When he reached in to pull out a treat, a small pear-shaped bottle fell softly onto the grass.

"Hey, you dropped something," Hermione pointed out, kneeling down on the grass to retrieve it.

Draco's eyes widened in alarm. "I'll get it. Don't touch it!" he exclaimed, dropping the newspaper and treat to grab it but Hermione was too fast.

Hermione's look of shock quickly dissipated and morphed into unspeakable anger. She clutched the bottle so hard Draco thought it might shatter in her fist.

"What the hell is this?"

Draco shifted his gaze away, glancing at anywhere but Hermione. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about?" Hermione parroted. She shook her head in disbelief. She raised the bottle up to Draco's face. "This is a potion that gives the illusion of sickness symptoms. You've been making me take care of you these past couple of days all for nothing." Hermione proceeded to hurl the bottle into the river, watching it being carried away. "What were you hoping to gain from this?" When Draco stayed quiet, she pushed at his chest, causing him to drop the newpspaer he was holding. "Tell me!"

Before Draco could think of some sort of excuse, his eyes fell to the newspaper in between them. His eyes narrowed as he stared from the front page picture to Hermione and back again. He squared his shoulders and balled his hands into tight fists at his sides.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." He pointed down at the picture. "You on the other hand...tell me what _exactly_ I'm looking at."

* * *

><p>Blaise lowered his newspaper as he glanced in Greg's direction.<p>

"Not bad," Blaise commented as the barber finished cutting off the last piece of hair. He spun Greg around in the chair. "What do you think?"

Greg blinked at his reflection. "There's not really much of a difference. I mean the barber basically just got rid of my bangs and sideburns."

"It's not _supposed_ to be much different. It's just supposed to inspire a little confidence. It's just so that you can look a woman straight in the eye without having to duck away behind the bangs. It looks good. Makes you look very fresh-faced."

"I guess," Greg said, standing up to remove the cloth protector from his neck. He shook his hair off of it before handing it to the barber.

He gave the barber a small pouch of Galleons. The barber thanked him for the business and left to get Greg his change. Blaise had gone back to reading the newspaper, pointing at a certain column.

"Hey, The Weird Sisters split up."

"Again?"

Just as Greg leaned in to get a closer look, he caught sight of the frontpage. He nearly fell over at the sight in front of him.

"Greg, you alright? You look...pale."

"I'm...I'm fine. I just need to go. I'll see you at the ball tonight!" Greg shouted, shoving past Blaise.

"Sir, your change!" the barber called out.

"Keep it!"

Blaise ran out of the shop and cupped his hands together to yell, "Hey, don't forget to pick up your suit at eight o'clock!"

Greg Disapparated so quickly he was surprised he hadn't gotten splinched in his haste to return to the Malfoy island. He came dashing into the hut, his hands clutching both sides of the threshold as he stumbled forward.

"Draco! " Greg shouted.

Draco's glower faltered as he shifted his gaze away from Hermione to Greg. His shoulders were still tense but he slowly unballed his fists.

"What is it?"

Greg's chest heaved up and down as he stared at Draco with wild eyes.

"There was- there was an article about Granger in The Proph-"

Draco ground his jaw, moving it side to side a bit. "Yes, yes. I'm quite aware of that article." He grabbed The Prophet and threw it onto the floor in anger, the front page revealing an image of Hermione in a glamorous gown at a charity ball of all things. "Things have changed drastically."

"So..." Greg swallowed. "Is- is she really the wrong Granger?"

"That remains to be seen," Draco murmured darkly, crossing his arms as he watched Hermione. "She knows Occulemsy and there's that damn potion she invented to fight against Veritaserum. I'll never know if she really speaks the truth or not. The only way is to go to the charity ball and investigate myself. We're going. All three of us," he said with a finality that made it clear it was not open for discussion.

"What? No, that's too risky! I can't let you do that!" Greg cried out, striding up to Draco. "Potter and everyone else will definitely be there."

"I have no choice," Draco said through grit teeth. "I can't let this die if I have the wrong girl."

"I told you you had the wrong girl." Hermione glared daggers at him. "From the beginning, that's what I've been trying to tell you."

Draco suddenly turn on her with narrowed eyes. "Let's say for one second you're not Granger then why did you take her place? Why charm yourself and take over Granger's identity?"

"It's not like I have a say in what she wants. I'm just a doppelganger she created to protect herself," Hermione lied through her teeth, giving Draco a smug look.

"And from whom would she need to protect herself from exactly?" Draco asked quietly. "From me?" Before Hermione could speak, he laughed darkly and said, "She can't protect herself from me, love. If what you say is true, I'll get my hands on her very soon. The only reason she would use a duplicate of herself as a decoy is if she knew I was coming for her for something she knew she did wrong."

At this, Hermione eyes widened. Of course, he would jump to that conclusion. Hermione groaned inwardly, trying to think up a quick retaliation.

"She intended on using me to aid Harry in his Auror missions soon," Hermione said breezily, surprised at how natural that lie sounded.

Greg glared daggers at Hermione. "We can't trust anything she says. Just _Imperio_ her to tell you the truth and have it be done with."

"Because my wand inspection with Potter is coming up soon." Draco growled. "I used the Imperius Curse on Granger while I was drunk and then again when she was magically bound to the tree. It's going to look suspicious if I keep using it. You're also a close link of mine so I can't risk you using the_ Imperius_ as well."

Greg cursed under his breath as he started pacing back and forth. "What are you gonna tell Potter?"

"That I used it in self-defense."

Hermione scoffed. "You're pathetic."

Draco rounded on Hermione. "You really don't want to cross me right now. You'll pay if I find you made me waste my time searching for a fake Granger at this ball."

"You're despicable, Malfoy," Hermione hissed. "Lying to me like that, pretending to be ill! And for what? To mess with me? To make me...to make me feel _sorry_ for you?!" She stood up from her bed, the chain attached to her iron anklet clinking with every step she took. She prodded a finger against his chest, getting right in his face. "I thought I felt sorry for you and I hated myself for it! You have no idea how confusing it is to feel pity and hate and hope for your redemption all at once. It's so damn overwhelming! I can't take it anymore," she huffed, her chest heaving up and down in exertion.

Draco grabbed both of her wrists and forced them down against her sides as he stared her down through narrowed eyes.

"I tend to have that affect on people," he confessed with a cocky tone, squeezing her wrists tightly. "Be careful, Granger. If anyone heard your little outburst just now they might just mistake it for love. You did confess your love for me once before even if it was under false pretenses."

Hermione laughed dryly. "I'm not playing the _'I love you'_ game. The first time was a joke not so many mornings ago over breakfast." Her jaw set tightly. "Believe me when I say there won't be said a second time, joke or not."

"I'm afraid you'll have to." Draco leaned down close to her face, his eyes holding a dangerous glint. "You will dress yourself pretty for tonight, hold onto my arm and act the part of my lover. I know that's something you'll hate more than anything so I can't imagine a better punishment for all of the trouble you've caused me."

* * *

><p>"We are pressed for time, Greg, so don't dally and choose something appropriate for tonight," Draco said, crossing the room to hand Greg a pouch of galleons.<p>

Greg accepted the pouch, shifting his gaze from Draco to a stewing Hermione who stood leaning against the tall windows.

"I...don't know if I'm the right person for the job." He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know anything about women's clothes."

Draco smirked. "No, I suppose not but you are a man and I trust you are aware of your own tastes in women's attire." He placed his hand on Greg's shoulder. "Listen, it's very simple. Get her something in..." He glanced around the room for a random color when his eyes settled on the sheer white curtains swaying around Hermione as she stared wistfully out the window. A slow crooked grin marred his features. "Get her something in white or gray. Something befitting for our _angel_. Long. Nothing that reveals too much skin. No frills and nothing too poofy. Get her standard black shoes with low heels." He placed a slip of paper inside of Greg's blazer and patted it securely. "Here are her measurements and her shoe size."

"Alright. Got it. I'll be back soon."

Draco dismissed him with a curt nod as Greg Disapparated right before him. He shifted his gaze to Hermione who still had her back facing him.

"Have a seat if you please," Draco murmured, gesturing to the seat in front of his mother's vanity.

Hermione slowly glanced at him over her shoulder, before walking over to perch herself on the cushioned seat.

Draco grabbed Hermione's chin so that she was now looking at him. "Stay still." He pointed his wand first at her hair, making it lighter until it turned into a dishwater blonde color, slowly smoothing out the curls until it turned into fine waves. He then made her hair shorter, ending just past her shoulders. His wand glided over her nose, making it ever so slightly smaller before gliding down to her lips, making them much plumper. His wand and eyes lingered over her lips a moment longer, giving Hermione a devious smirk before moving onto her chin, making it more of a well-defined artistocratic chin. His wand hovered over one of her eyes now. "I had thought to make your eyes green but...I think I'll keep your eyes the way they are."

"Why is that?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Because they're the eyes I've gotten used to gazing back at during our short time together. I'd rather be looking into your eyes instead of a strangers'." Draco arched an eyebrow. "How very right you were before that the eyes are the window to one's soul. I need your eyes to stay the way they are as a reminder that everytime I look into those doe-like, innocent eyes that it's my enemy staring back at me and that I can never lose sight of that."

"...I think I liked you better when you were faking sick." Hermione turned her head away from Draco in exasperation. "At least then we could be civil to one another half the time and at least then you could put aside your vengeance and act- and act...I don't know..." she whispered, shaking her head at a loss of words.

Draco set his jaw tightly. "Act _what_?"

Hermione bit her lip as she gave him an even look. "Human."

"Why would a doppelganger care so much about whether I act human or not?"

"Because whether or not I'm the original, I'm not an inanimate object. I still have feelings."

"How can the feelings exist without a soul?."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't know how to explain that but I'm sure that's a question you must ask yourself quite often."

Draco chuckled darkly. "That's where you're wrong. I don't feel remorse when I know my actions are justified."

"You don't know the meaning of the word _'justified'_," Hermione whispered, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, and I suppose the Know-It-All is going to give me one big history lesson about the word."

"What point would there be in that?" Hermione stood up and backed away from him, her eyes holding his. "I'd rather talk about more important things. I'd rather talk about the man I got to spend time with these last couple of days. You revealed parts of yourself to me, and I know that's not something you do very often. Open yourself up to me again. Let's not waste time on going to some stupid ball. Let's sit in this room and talk until all of this gets sorted out."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Granger really overdid the personality on just one doppelganger."

"Forget that for just one moment." Hermione growled lightly. "See me as the person who took care of you. The person who opened up to you. Even if I'm not a person to you now, I was a person to you at least for those two days- days I wish we could go back to because I have a feeling that if things had continued like that then maybe we could have become friends."

"Since you're saying we _could_ have become friends, it sounds like you have lost interest in being my friend."

"No, I still want to be your friend...if you'll let me." Hermione gave him a hopeful expression. "I don't want to give up on you."

Draco stepped forward and held her face firmly in both hands for a moment. "A friend is the last thing I need right now, love. I especially don't need friendship from the woman who looks just like the one I want revenge on. These last couple of days...were nothing. I just wanted you waiting on me that's all."

"That's not true." Hermione placed her hands lightly over the hands cupping her face. "If it were, you could have just bossed me around like any other day if that was the case."

Draco's eyes hardened at her touch. "Stop presuming you understand me, you filthy mudblood." He pulled away from her roughly, his mouth twisting in disgust. "Stop trying to find good in me. No matter how hard you try you're not going to find redeeming qualities in me and certainly none that you can use to your advantage to save yourself."

"Look I- I have no idea what you must be feeling but I..." Hermione quickly corrected herself, breathing deeply. "...what I mean to say is that Hermione knows how you feel. She knows what it feels like to lose someone important to you."

"Losing a grandmother to old age is nothing compared to what I have had to deal with," Draco snarled.

"The only difference is that Hermione never tried to blame someone for her death!" Hermione cried. "She grieved, did all of the happy things she used to do with her grandmother and eventually...she moved on. She moved on because it's what her grandmother would have wanted. And that's exactly what Alaric would have wanted for you. Alaric was a pure soul. He was a good person. Do you honestly believe that he would want you to seek revenge by tormenting Hermione or anyone else?" she asked exasperatedly, her eyes full of anguish.

"Do you actually think Granger knows my brother better than I?"

"All I'm saying is..." Hermione said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "...that if you just stopped to think about it you'd know that what I'm saying actually makes sense. If you knew your brother well enough you'd know that revenge on his behalf is not something he'd want or take pleasure in."

Draco clenched his jaw tightly and balled his fists at his side. For one moment, Hermione actually feared he would strike her, causing her to take an involuntary step backward. He slowly uncoiled his hands.

"I'm growing rather bored of this conversation. I want to focus on getting you ready for our little date tonight so quit the chit-chat and sit down," he growled, shoving her into the chair. "I don't know anything about women's hair and make up so you just take care of that yourself."

Hermione merely stared at the make up uncertainly as if they were small instruments of destruction."

"What?"

"Are you...are you sure you want me to use your mother's make up?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

"She's not around to use it right now. Don't worry I'll get it all either sanitized or replaced."

Hermione looked down at the make up and shook her head. She stood up and Draco immediately pressed her back down by the shoulders.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Look, if I have to get dressed up for this idiotic party, can't I at least have something to eat first? I'm hungry," Hermione replied. "You didn't let me make dinner earlier, remember?"

The sound of Hermione's stomach growling interrupted whatever retort that had been ready to come out of Draco's mouth. Draco stared down at her stomach with an arched eyebrow. He sighed after a long moment, grabbing her wrist as he dragged her toward the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Greg, you're late," Draco hissed, staring at Hermione.<p>

Greg nodded, slightly flustered. "I know. I got held up. I was able to buy a dress for Granger I thought was alright."

"Good." Draco took the dress from Greg and held it out for Hermione to take. "Put it on."

Hermione hesitated for a moment before grabbing the dress and entering Draco's room. Greg and Draco watched as she quietly closed the door behind her.

"Think she'll try to run?"

"Without a doubt. That's why I need you to especially keep an eye on her tonight. No screw ups," Draco muttered, pointing a finger in Greg's direction. "This is absolutely crucial, Greg."

Greg swallowed. "I won't- I won't let you down, I promise."

"Promises are always made to be broken. I want your _word_ you will not let her slip away."

"I will." Greg scrunched up his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I won't let Granger get away. You have it- you have my word."

Before Draco could reply, the door opened to reveal a timid Hermione, holding her arms over her stomach. Hermione was dressed in a light gray Grecian inspired gown with one sheer sleeve and spaghetti strap. There was gold and silver lining with tiny crystals on the bodice. For a moment, Draco merely stared openly at her. His mouth was slightly agape and his eyes had darkened as he looked her up and down.

"This is probably the only time I'm ever gonna say this but...you look bloody gorgeous, Granger," Greg gasped out.

Hermione blushed, smoothing her hands over the skirt.

"Well, the person you were charmed to look like looks gorgeous at least," Greg grumbled.

Hermione rolled her eyes at this before looking back at Draco who just would not stop staring.

"W-what? Is the red too much?" Hermione asked, partially covering her mouth. "I couldn't find any lighter colors on your mother's vanity."

Draco scowled after a second. "No, it's nothing." He approached her as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Something's missing though...ah, I know." He pulled out his wand, making Hermione take a step back in fear. "Relax, I won't hex you just yet. I just need to make sure you don't go running off at the mouth while we're at this ball. _Silencio_."

Hermione opened her mouth in an attempt to demand he remove the spell but it was futile seeing as how the spell was already in effect.

Draco offered his arm to her with a roll of his eyes. "Come on. Let's just get this over with."

As soon as she curled her arm around his and Greg had placed his hand on his shoulder, the three of them had Disapparated together.

Large double doors were opened for them, revealing a grand ballroom filled to the brim with people in their fancy robes and glorious swirls of silk and satin. The crystal chandelier cast a kaleidoscope of gold and silver shapes across the dance floor, reflecting off of people's skin, giving them a near ethereal glow.

"Behave," Draco growled into Hermione's ear.

Hermione's gaze briefly flickered to him before averting her gaze- the only acknowledgement she would give him.

"Your mother. Twelve o' clock," Greg coughed into his hand, trying to look elsewhere.

"Of course." Draco sighed heavily, turning his eyes skyward before mechanically turning his head to greet his mother with a broad fake smile. "Why, hello, mother."

"Draco, dear. I'm surprised you decided to show up. You haven't been to many of these gatherings for quite some time."

"What can I say? I just felt like showing off my gorgeous girlfriend." Draco smirked, snaking his arm around Hermione's waist and drawing her closer to him.

She looked upon his face with the most bizarre questioning look.

"Oh, my! Is this the girl you were telling me about before?"

"Yes, this is she."

"I see. What's your name, dear?"

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but remembered the spell Draco had placed on her. Draco unwrapped his arm from around her waist to place a hand at the small of her back.

"She has a bit of a cold right now, mother. It hurts her throat whenever she tries to speak. I insisted she not force herself to come but she just couldn't stay away from me." Draco smirked at Hermione's glare.

"I see." Narcissa chuckled. "I don't blame you. My son is rather charming, isn't he?"

Hermione forced a smile and nodded robotically._ 'Oh, yeah about as charming as a snake.' _She rolled her eyes inwardly.

"What is her name?"

"...Jean. Jean Scarlett."

"I see." Narcissa frowned softly, pursing her lips. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with a Scarlett family. What does her family do?"

"One is a muggle healer while the other is deceased," Draco replied non-chalantly as if he were merely commenting on the weather.

Narcissa's eyebrows arched up high. "A _muggle_...healer you say?"

"Yes and quite a skilled one or so I've heard. Mother, Jean, please excuse me for a moment while I go speak with Potter. Mother, please keep Jean company and make sure she doesn't wander." Draco winked at Narcissa. "She knows how jealous I get."

Narcissa chuckled. "Yes, of course."

Hermione's eyes widened at this, gawking at Draco as he walked away.

"Let us sit, my dears," Narcissa drawled.

Narcissa gently steered her to a nearby round table. Hermione sat in between Narcissa and Greg, her shoulders ridged and her fingers digging into the fabric of her dress. She glanced up when she noticed all of the other people getting up to leave. She gave Greg a questioning look but he was too busy grabbing some wine off of the tray of a passing waiter.

Narcissa sighed. "You'd think I would be used to being treated like this. I don't know if I'm more offended or annoyed by it all."

"It's definitely annoying," Greg replied. "It's umm...a very good thing Draco managed to find someone that doesn't care about the reputation of us pure-bloods."

Narcissa smiled at this. "Yes. Yes, how fortunate. I wish to know more about you, darling." She turned to Greg who was staring searchingly across the dancefloor for Pansy. "Gregory, do you happen to know how Draco and Jean met?"

Greg snapped out of it at the sound of his name. "How-how they met you ask?" He glanced at Hermione who arched an eyebrow and appeared mildly amused by the whole situation. "Erm...they met at a party at my lakehouse. Jean is a friend of a friend of one of my many distant relatives."

Hermione tried her best to hide her smile as she listened to Greg come up with lie after lie about her _'relationship'_ with Draco.

* * *

><p>The moment Harry had excused himself from his circle of friends, Draco was quick to follow him into the hallway away from prying ears.<p>

"Potter."

Harry stopped in his tracks at the sound of Draco's voice. He glanced over his shoulder with a smile tugging on his lips.

"Malfoy." He walked over toward him and extended his hand. "Good to see you."

Draco stared down at his hand with a smirk. "We both know you don't mean that."

"I do, actually. It shouldn't be so surprising."

Draco chuckled. "For some reason, it still is." He shook his hand none-the-less.

"How can I help you, Malfoy?"

"I'm going on a trip with my girlfriend. I'm not sure when I'll return so I was hoping we could move my wand inspection to...right now," Draco said, the lie coming out smoothly. "I'll still return for our monthly meetings. I just wanted to get this one out of the way so that I could start spending time with Jean right away. After my father passed away and with my life being complicated as always with the Wizarding world, I never thought I could enjoy life again." He smiled softly. "But then Jean came along...that woman has been the only light in all of this chaos I'm surrounded in."

Harry's eyebrows arched high in genuine surprise. "Wow...it's great that you've found someone." Draco regarded him silently, knowing Harry was sincere for reasons he could not fathom. He sighed. "I'm not usually supposed to do these kinds of things but I'll make an exception for you." He glanced around to make sure there were no one around. "Let's step into the library for some privacy."

Draco nodded, a slight smile twitching on one side of his face. "I really appreciate this."

"It's no trouble." Harry opened the door to the library and gestured at the entrance. "After you."

"What?" Draco smirked. "Are you scared I'll stab you as soon as your back is turned?"

"No but now that you mention it, I suppose it's something I should watch for in the future."

"Duh. You're far too trusting," Draco muttered, walking into the library.

He reclined back on a sofa chair and Harry sat down across from him.

"Alright. Shall we begin?" Harry asked curtly, extending his hand for Draco's wand.

Draco carefully removed his wand from his blazer before handing it to Harry. The Golden boy tapped Draco's wand thrice with his own and instantly the wand started hovering and glowing a dim green. A gold light started spiraling around the wand in slow motions.

Harry nodded, obviously pleased. "So far so good."

Draco shifted in his seat, letting one hand hang over the arm of the chair while the other was tucked under his chin as he studied the whole wand checking process.

He cleared his throat. "I should warn you that I have used an Unforgivable once or twice in the past couple of weeks." Half-way through his sentence, his wand started turning dark. At this, Harry raised an eyebrow. "But it was in self-defense," he added."

Harry gave him a long look. "Alright, if it was in self-defense, why not use another spell to protect yourself? Why an Unforgivable?"

"You forget you're speaking to an ex-Death Eater," Draco drawled, gesturing at himself. "A man can change over the years but it's hard to completely be rid of what he once was." He shrugged. "The wizard dared to attack a Malfoy. Guess I just enjoyed messing with him for a bit with the Imperius curse. Hey, at least I didn't use the Cruciatus."

"I see..." Harry murmured, glancing from Draco to the wand. "But you used it twice. If you used the first to protect yourself then what did you use the Imperius for the second time?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Harry gave him a flat look. "It's not optional. If you really want me to let you go on a trip with your girlfriend, I'm going to need the truth."

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"Malfoy." Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco chuckled, leaning forward with his hands clasped together. "Well, if you must know, my girlfriend and I get a little kinky from time to time so..."

Harry's eyes widened at this and an unmistakable blush colored his cheeks. "Alright! Alright, you can stop there." He shook his head before focusing his attention back on Draco's wand. The glowing disappeared and the wand hovered back into Harry's hand. "That concludes the wand inspection."

"That's it? No Veritaserum?"

"No."

"Why's that? Empathy for my current situation?"

"No. I believe in second chances. That's why I'm going to trust you and let you go." He held out Draco's wand for him to take. Draco wrapped his hand around it but Harry wouldn't let go of the wand just yet. "_Don't_ betray that trust," Harry ground out. "Maybe I am too trusting. Even so, I know that trust must be earned in order to receive it. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here." He let go of the wand. "Make wise choices."

They both rose from their seats at the exact same time. Draco deposited his wand back into his blaze before giving Harry a brief handshake.

"Thanks...for giving me a second chance." The small part of Draco that did feel guilt was swiftly crushed by his own goals and desires. "Not many people would do that for someone like me with a past."

Harry smiled. "A man's past doesn't define him. A man's _character_ is his destiny."

"How insightful."

"Yeah, I got it from a fortune cookie." Harry grinned, half-shrugging. "They come up with some wise stuff once in a while."

"Fortune cookie?"

"Erm...nevermind. Muggle thing."

"Ah...well, it's been nice chatting with you, Potter. I'll see you around." Draco turned to walk away from him.

He was about to cross the threshold when Harry's voice was heard. "I meant it, Malfoy. Don't betray my trust."

Draco turned ever so slightly to gaze back at him. "...I'm a changed man, remember?"

With that, Draco closed the door behind him quietly as he headed back to the ballroom. He had never agreed that he wouldn't betray him. Draco never made promises he didn't keep. That was the beauty of loopholes. He opened the doors of the ballroom, instantly greeted by soft light of the chandeliers, music and endless chatter among the people. He spotted Greg who was sitting in between Narcissa and Hermione. He raised an eyebrow upon seeing Hermione making rapid hand signs while Narcissa laughed and spoke to her with an enthusiasm he hadn't seen in her in a very long time. As soon as he was within jumping distance of the table, Narcissa spotted him and waved him over.

"Now I don't remember ever raising a son to leave such a lovely and charming young lady unattended for so long." She gently hit his arm. "Invite Jean to dance, dearest."

Hermione eyes widened at this, shaking her head but Narcissa merely chuckled. "You shouldn't have to sit down for the rest of the evening. Go dance. Enjoy yourselves."

Draco stared from Hermione to Narcissa before inclining his head. "Very well." He turned to Hermione with a sarcastic look that went unnoticed by Narcissa. He offered the top of his hand palm's down to Hermione. "May I have the honor of this dance?"

Hermione merely gazed back at Draco as if he had grown a second head. Greg nudged Hermione's side with an amused smile playing at his lips.

"You're supposed to put your hand over his."

Hermione rolled her eyes. _'I know that. I just don't want to.'_

Upon seeing Narcissa's hopeful expression, Hermione groaned internally and placed her hand over Draco's as he led her onto the dancefloor.

Draco gave Hermione an odd look. "How did you and my mother become so chummy?"

Hermione shrugged, seeing as how she couldn't really answer him back anyway.

"Never mind. Just continue to let me enjoy your silent presence."

Draco stopped suddenly, bowing briefly before interlacing his fingers with Hermione. He settled his hand at the small of her waist, drawing her closer to him. Much too close for Hermione's taste.

"Don't give me that look. My mother expects us to dance so we're going to dance."

Hermione glanced over Draco's shoulder to see his mother looking fondly over at them. She hesitantly placed her hand on Draco's shoulder. The orchestra rose into a high crescendo as Draco led her across the dance floor, his steps sure and confident as he led them into a waltz. She looked everywhere but at him, her eyes straying to the other dancing couples.

"What's with the sighing?" Draco asked, lifting her up quickly by the waist, making Hermione yelp silently as he twirled her around in one quick circle.

Hermione ignored him as she continued gazing longingly at Ron dancing with the girl that wore a copy of her face.

Draco followed her gaze, his face expressionless. "Ah...I see. You crushing on Granger's Weasel...or is this the real Hermione in my arms envious of Ronald Weasley with another woman?"

Hermione looked up at him sharply, her eyes quite obviously telling him to shut his mouth.

Draco smirked. "I've told you earlier that I'm not entirely convinced about this doppelganger business. I'll know for sure after tonight." His hand rose to cup her cheek. "I've found myself a little fond of you. Perhaps I'll keep you once I have the real Hermione in my possession."

Hermione gave him a questioning look as she pulled away from his touch. Draco merely chuckled.

"I'll grudgingly admit you played the part of a nurse quite well. I was surprised when you didn't try to run away."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. _'Is that why you faked sick?'_

"Why I pretended to be ill is my business. You don't get to question me." He eyed Ron dancing with _'Hermione'_ and smirked. "Imagine what he would think if he found out his girlfriend spent the night in my bed."

Hermione nails clenched against his arm as she scowled at him. _'Shut up. Don't make it sound so filthy. All we did was sleep. We both agreed we had clearly lost our minds last night.'_ she mouthed in agitation.

They moved through the crowds of dancing couples, Draco smirking at her while Hermione glared. Draco spun her around slowly, bringing her back against him with a flick of his wrist. Hermione suddenly noticed a couple staring at them out of the corner of her eye. That was when she saw just about everyone in the room was staring at them, except for _'Hermione'_ who seemed to be in a deeply heated discussion with her dance partner to notice them.

_'Everyone is staring.'_

"So?"

_'It's unnerving.'_

"I haven't been photographed with a woman in a while. Having a beauty like I charmed you to look is bound to have everyone's attention. Ignore them and focus solely on me," Draco drawled, a huskiness to his tone.

_'It's hard not to focus on anything else.' _Hermione rolled her eyes.

Draco's smirk waned when he saw _'Hermione'_ had parted from Ron to get a drink. He slowed the dancing as he led Hermione through the crowd until they had edged closer to Greg who was engaged in conversation with Narcissa. He gestured for Greg to come to them quickly. Greg excused himself with a bow before heading toward Draco and Hermione. Draco paused and parted from Hermione.

"Take her off my hands for a bit. I'm going to dance with the other Hermione and see if I can get the truth out of her with some Veritaserum."

"Got it. Before you go, there's something you should know." Greg leaned forward and whispered something in Draco's ear quickly.

Draco patted Greg's back in thanks before walking off into the crowd. Greg lazily offered his hand to Hermione who accepted it albeit hesitantly.

Draco shot one last look toward them before he started striding toward Hermione's look-a-like. He caught sight of her pulling away from a dance with Ron in order to dance with Neville. He approached them quickly, tapping Neville on the shoulder.

"May I cut in?"

_'Hermione'_ appeared to beam at the idea while Neville just looked confused.

"We only just started dancing, though."

"This is a charity ball, isn't it?"

"Well, yes but-

"And men pay to dance with any one of the ten women chosen as the best beauties, isn't that correct? My time is precious, Longbottom. I have places to be so I want to have the dance I paid for while I get to catch up a bit with my old schoolmate. Sound fair enough?"

"I suppose..."

"It's only right that he gets to dance with the woman of his choosing, Neville. Why don't you invite Luna to dance like you've been working up the nerve to do all evening long?"

Neville turned in Luna's direction to see her sitting at a table chatting away with Harry and Ginny. A small nervous smile twitched on his face. _'Hermione'_ placed a hand on Neville's shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"Go on, go ask her."

Neville nodded. "Yeah...yeah, I think I will."

With that said, he started walking in Luna's direction. Draco almost missed the look of relief on _'Hermione'_s face the instant Neville was gone. She smiled at Draco, curtsying deeply while Draco bowed in return.

"May I have this dance?"

"You may," _'Hermione'_ said, allowing Draco to settle his hand in her hand.

Draco settled his hand on her upper back as he led her across the dance floor in wide circles.

"I never imagined I'd be dancing with you." The woman's eyes sparkled coyly. "You're quite the dancer."

Draco smiled. "I'm only as good as my partner."

_'Hermione'_ blushed. "Such a charmer...if only you had been this charming back in Hogwarts."

"Did you want me to be charming toward _you_?" Draco grinned. "Someone have a little_ crush_ on me, did they?"

_'Hermione'_ gasped. "D-don't be ridiculous. I just wish you'd been nicer is all," she said, shifting her gaze away.

Draco chuckled. "I only jest. The real Hermione could never possibly have feelings for someone like me."

"That's right," _'Hermione'_ stated firmly.

"Tell me, I'm truly curious, just what has the brilliant mind behind the Golden Trio been up to since our Hogwarts years?"

"Ah, well..." _'Hermione'_ glanced down at her feet, seemingly at a loss of words. She frowned lightly as if in deep thought.

"Surely, there must be something new in your life going on," Draco pressed.

"Oh, there's my muggle studies. I'm studying at a muggle university...to become a doctor!" _'Hermione'_ exclaimed triumphantly when she finally got the words out.

"Never thought about working as a Healer for St. Mungo's?"

_'Hermione' _appeared saddened, a look that Draco felt may have been a tad exaggerated. "My mother is very sick right now so she's my number one priority. I hope to become a doctor in the hopes that I can discover a cure to aid her, that's why I prefer to focus on muggle medicine since we're not allowed to use potions on muggles."

"I see. I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thank you," 'Hermione' whispered, looking up in awe at him.

_'Could she be any more obvious? Either she's had too much drink or this isn't the real Hermione.'_ Draco rolled his eyes inwardly, maintaining a smile on the outside. _'There's no way I'm gonna be able to check for the rosebud birthmark Greg overheard Luna mentioning to Ginny,' _he thought, thinking back to minutes earlier when Greg had whispered the discovery into his ear._ 'If I lead her away from this place, it's going to look suspicious considering she's Hermione fucking Granger. Someone like the Weasel is bound to notice. I'll just do this the old-fashioned way just as I planned to do.'_

"Care for a drink?" Draco asked suavely.

"I'd love one."

Draco spun her around several times as he kept one arm behind his back. Using his free hand, he smoothly swiped a wine glass from the silver tray of a passing waiter. He slid the vial of Veritaserum from his sleeve, uncapped it and spilled the contents into the wine glass in three seconds flat. He stopped spinning _'Hermione'_ to present her with the glass of wine.

"Here you go, Granger."

"I'm so parched. Thank you." The woman accepted the glass, never taking her eyes off of Draco.

"Your welcome."

_'Hermione'_ smiled at him over the rim of her glass as she took a couple strong gulps from the glass.

"Hmm...tastes a bit different."

"Well, you know, there's always coming up with new crazy tasting wines. Always trying to top the strongest taste. Say, you don't mind if I ask you something, do you?"

"Not at all. Go ahead."

"If I were to take you into the gardens or maybe even upstairs for a little..._privacy_, what would you say to that?"

_'Hermione's_ eyed hooded lustfully. "I'd say most definitely," she purred.

"Aren't you with Weasley?"

"No, he's not my real boyfriend."

"Oh, really?" Draco smirked. "Tell me...are you exactly who you appear to be right at this moment?"

"No." _'Hermione'_ blinked. "But what exactly do you mean by that?"

Draco gave her his most charming grin. "I just want you to be yourself around me is what I mean."

"Oh, yes of course. I'd never try to act like someone I'm not." She smiled as she rubbed Draco's arm up and down. "Now how about we talk about this privacy business some more?"

"We probably shouldn't now that I think about it. Weasley is glaring at us right now and reporters are here tonight. If they see us leave together, it might ruin your spotless reputation."

_'Hermione'_ pouted. "Sod my reputation. I'd give anything for a night with you."

"Anything?" This was too rich to have someone that looked like Hermione want Draco so desperately.

"Anything," _'Hermione'_ whispered.

Draco took her hand in both of his and kissed it, never taking his eyes off of her. "Sorry to have teased you. I just wanted to mess with you for a bit. I actually came here with my girlfriend. I shouldn't neglect her. Take care." He patted her hand before turning to walk away.

He completely missed the look of disappointment on _'Hermione'_s face as he did so. He finally had his answer about the real Hermione but there was still one last thing he had to check just to be sure.

* * *

><p>It turned out Greg wasn't as good at lip-reading as Draco was so they ended up silently dancing with one another. Every now and then Greg would glance around as if he were searching for someone. Hermione tapped his arm and tried to mime this question to him.<p>

Greg shook his head, looking somewhere over Hermione's head. "No one you need to concern yourself with."

Hermione sighed. How much longer would they have to endure this stupid ball? Though, at the same time, should she really want this whole affair to end? If Draco found out she was lying about being a doppelganger, she was _dead_. Even if Draco somehow fully fell for her lie, that would mean that whoever was masquerading as herself would end up facing Draco's wrath. Hermione couldn't allow that. There had to be some way to fix all this. Her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of the fake Hermione wading through the crowd to reach the restroom. Her hand squeezed Greg's shoulder, effectively halting their movements altogether.

"What is it?"

Hermione pointed in the direction of the restroom. Greg followed her line of vision and promptly shook his head at this.

Greg snorted. "You really think I'm going to fall for that again? How stupid do you think I am?" He scrunched his face up and shook his head. "Wait. Never mind. Don't answer that."

Hermione shook her head fiercely, placing her hands on her tummy and raised two fingers to mean she would only be gone two minutes tops.

"Two minutes?" Hermione nodded. Greg moved his jaw from side to side in agitation before heaving a large sigh. "...Alright. _Two_ minutes. That's it. I'll be right outside the door. Take any longer than that and I'm coming in to get you."

Greg offered his arm and Hermione took it as he led her across the dance floor. They each quickly separated upon reaching the door to the ladies room, but before Hermione walked in, Greg snatched her wrist and drew her back to his side.

"No funny business," he ground out.

Hermione canted her head before running into the restroom. She saw the other Hermione leaning against one of the sinks as she reapplied her cherry red lipstick. She glanced up when she noticed Hermione was just standing there gawking at her.

"Oh, hi..." she said awkwardly. "Can I...help you?"

Hermione took three quick strides to reach her and started miming that they were both in danger.

The other Hermione frowned. "I can't understand a single word you're trying to tell me. Why don't you just speak? _Can_ you speak?"

Hermione shook her head. _'Just look carefully at what I'm trying to sign at you.'_ She gestured at the stranger's face before gesturing at her own, emphasizing more on the stranger's face.

"What? You're saying you wish you were as beautiful as me? Oh, well, aren't you sweet?" The woman smiled.

Hermione's jaw dropped at her words. That _vanity_...it could only be Pansy masquerading as herself. It made sense in a way. Pansy had close connections to herself and she was the one that had organized this ball, after all. It made sense that Harry and the others were in cahoots. Hermione closed her eyes and rubbed at her temples. She had to really dumb things down since this was _Pansy_ she was speaking to- erm signing to. She raised her hands again and started pointing at her hair and eyes, wearing a sinister look on her face. She drew a big 'M' in the air, before tapping at her bare forearm as she drew an invisible snake and skull on it.

"Are you...talking about Draco Malfoy by any chance?" Pansy grinned when Hermione nodded. "He is _such_ a hunk. I had the pleasure of dancing with him earlier this evening. That man sure knows how to tease a woman."

Hermione raised her hands to cease her chatter._ 'This clearly isn't getting us anywhere.'_ Her eyes strayed to the lipstick Pansy was still holding. She snatched it away as quick as lightning much to the cries of protest from her employer.

She raised the lipstick to the mirror and began writing. **"I need your help. We're both in terrible danger. It's me, Hermione. Gather Harry and the- "**

Before she could finish writing, Greg barged into the bathroom without warning and seized Hermione by the elbow. He pointed his wand at the mirror and bellowed, "'_Scourgify'_." before jerking it in Pansy's direction and said, "_'Obliviate'_."

He watched as she sank to the floor dramatically with a thump, leaving her in a pool of red tulle. Hermione cast a look of horror from Greg to Pansy and then back at Greg. Her mouth moved wordlessly before Greg dragged her out of the restroom by her upper arm, fingers digging into her skin so deep she was sure it would bruise.

"I will fucking hex you the next time you try to pull that shit with me," Greg snarled in Hermione's ear.

She jerked her head away from him, glancing behind her in time to see Luna entering the ladies room. Hermione was so focused on Luna that she accidentally bumped into a solid chest. She turned around, an apology on her lips when she saw it was Draco she had bumped into. He wasn't looking at her, though, his face was focused on Greg.

"Greg, I need to take Granger off your hands for a few minutes. There's something...I need to check in private," Draco murmured, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

Greg's eyebrows drew together in confusion for a moment before a look of realization crossed his face. It could only be that Draco wanted to check if Hermione had the rosebud birthmark on her back.

"Alright. I'll be keeping your mother company if you need me for anything."

Draco gave a slight nod, dismissing Greg with a wave of his hand. Greg walked away and as soon as he was out of earshot, Draco held his arm out to Hermione. She gave him a look as if she was being held at gunpoint. One glare from Draco and she grabbed onto his arm with a roll of her eyes. Hermione glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing Draco was looking straight ahead, looking resolved and determined. She tapped his arm and he instantly swung his head in her direction.

_'What is this about? Why do you need to see me in private?' _she mouthed.

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch. You'll see very soon," Draco said darkly.

Fear sunk into the pit of Hermione's stomach. He wasn't going to try to kill her, was he? Surely, he couldn't be that stupid to try something like that when there were so many people in the area. Draco paused when he came to a pair of double doors bound in silver filigree. He pulled away briefly to yank them open, scanning the area swiftly to make sure no one was glancing their way. He grabbed Hermione's wrist and pulled her in. The hallway they had entered was almost completely dark except for a few candles near the Grecian pillars at the very end of it. They walked until they reached the dimly lit spot, away from prying eyes or ears should anyone decide to step in through the double doors. They had paused right next to a golden wreathed mirror with a porcelain vase of corianders sitting just below it on a small mahogany table.

Draco shoved Hermione against the wall, prompting a withering look from her.

"Unzip your dress." At the frightened look on Hermione's face, Draco rolled his eyes. "I just want to check something."

When Hermione merely stared back at him defiantly, Draco slapped a hand against the wall right by her head.

"Unzip your dress or I'll do it for you," he threatened.

When Hermione still made no move to do so, Draco spun her around so she was now facing the wall and took hold of her wrists. He held them over her head, glaring at the back of it as she made wild thrashes in her attempt to get away. As soon as Hermione felt the zipper give way, her thrashing ceased and firmly pressed herself against the wall lest her dress decide to slip down all the way. Draco pressed one hand against the back of her shoulder while the other checked her back for the birthmark. After a moment of perusing, he slid the back of her bra up and sure enough there was the tiny rosebud birthmark sitting right smack in the center. A part of him felt relief while the other wanted to strangle Hermione for lying to him and making him worry for nothing. He never got a chance to consider what he would do next because suddenly he heard the creaking of the double doors.

The lighting from the ballroom gave way to reveal a shock of red hair. Draco cursed under his breath, turning Hermione around to face him quickly. Before Hermione could think, Draco's lips slammed against hers. Hermione stood frozen as he held her shoulders tightly in his grasp, face tense as he kissed her passionately, every movement fueled by hate. Hermione struggled in his arms and managed to tear her mouth away. No sooner had she escaped that Draco's lips had descended upon hers again, kissing her so aggressively that Hermione whimpered against his mouth. Draco wrapped an arm around her waist and then held the back of her head as he angled his own to the other side. Draco pulled away briefly to breathe against her neck, his warm breath making Hermione shiver uncomfortably.

"You had best do well and kiss me back," he rasped. He glanced behind him, hearing the footsteps getting closer. "_Right now_."

Hermione shook her head wildly, her eyes pleading with him to stop.

Draco growled. "Whether you want this or not is the least of my concerns. Kiss me. I can't guarantee anyone's safety if that oaf you call a boyfriend discovers you. Now kiss me or so help me."

Hermione glanced over Draco's shoulder briefly before clenching her eyes shut as she leaned in toward him. Draco quickly dove back in, claiming her lips as he pressed her harder against the wall. Her lips moved slowly, hesitantly against Draco's mouth. Her eyes remained tightly shut as he deepened the kiss.

_'Just pretend it's Ron.'_ One arm slid around Draco's neck while the other desperately tried to hold her dress up. She moved her mouth with renewed vigor against his lips. This seemed to throw Draco off for a moment, recovering instantly by placing one hand to cup Hermione's jaw while the other one gripped her harder by the waist, his hand clawing at the silky material of her dress. The footsteps halted a few feet from them.

"The hell..."

Draco glanced over his shoulder, looking convincingly irritated. "Do you mind?"

Hermione had her face pressed against Draco's chest while one of her hands were clenched against the front of his robes.

"Sorry, mate, I didn't know anyone was back here." Ron blinked, scratching the back of his head awkwardly before spinning around and heading in the opposite direction, holding a bottle of wine in his grip.

Draco and Hermione broke a apart, staring at one another as if this was the first time they had ever seen one another.

"You...are a really bad kisser, Granger."

Hermione gave him a flat look.

"What, nothing to say to that?" It dawned on him a second later. Draco smirked. "Oh, that's right. You still can't talk."

He pointed his wand at Hermione's throat and undid the spell. The first thing that came out of Hermione's mouth was, "You weren't exactly my cup of tea either," Hermione said scathingly.

"Right." Draco rolled his eyes. "Because your cup of tea consists of a ginger with one to many freckles."

Hermione ignored him as she reached behind to try tug her zipper back up. After watching her struggle for a few moments, Draco lost his patience and spun her around by the shoulder so that she was facing the wall. He placed one hand flat on her back as he slid the zipper back into place. Hermione remained facing the wall, replaying the last few moments in her head. If someone had told her she would one day kiss Draco Malfoy of all people, she would have scoffed in heavy derision.

"Come on, we're leaving." He started dragging her along behind him by the wrist.

"Where are we going?"

"I have some business to take care of. That's all you need to know."

As he hauled her through the doors and throng of people, Hermione couldn't help but raise the pads of her fingers against her lips as if Draco had changed them- lacerated them even. From now on, she would have to go through life knowing what Draco Malfoy tasted like. She had a feeling it was an experience she wouldn't easily forget. The snake had transferred the poison from his lips to hers. It would just take a while for the poison to set into her bloodstream...

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** That's right. They kissed. To be honest, I wasn't planning on having a Dramione kiss scene so soon. :P Then again maybe to my readers, it wasn't soon enough. I kept thinking about it and knew I wanted their first kiss to be one out of anger and not love because it's so much more Dramione's style that way. The next chapter is something I've been looking forward to writing for ages! I think it's something you guys are really going to enjoy and it's going to have a different side of Draco that I've rarely seen in fanfiction. I'm sorry that there's no preview, although you guys really do deserve one.

Just the thought of writing a preview to follow up on the asskickery this chapter put me through, really exhausts me. lol. I thought I could handle writing a preview for each chapter, but the thing is that I don't have the story mapped out. I'm writing this story as it comes to me. The previews won't disappear completely, though. I'll still include them on special occasions. I did make the chapter extra long for you guys, though. My chapters typically tend to be 11,000 to 13,000 words per chapter but this time, it's over 16,000. Thanks for those that are still following this story. Without you guys, I would have given up on this fic a long time ago.** Plz R/R to let me know what you think of the direction my story is going in. Your opinions and criticism mean a lot to me so don't be afraid to let me know exactly what you think. :)**


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